Defense and Security Studies Commons^™

The Multiple Faces Of Effective Grand Strategy, Bryan N. Groves

Journal of Strategic Security

Effective national leaders throughout history have deliberately developed grand strategies and successfully implemented them to attain their political goals, while also integrating and accomplishing economic, social, defense, and sometimes religious objectives. Not all leaders have been successful, however, as this process is immensely complex and can be adversely affected by the actions of other leaders around their region and the world. It bears examination, then, to determine what factors contribute to successful grand strategies and why many leaders fail to reach their stated ends. This article utilizes a historic case study approach and explores three key areas of grand strategy: …

Indian Involvement In Afghanistan In The Context Of The South Asian Security System, Melanie Hanif

Journal of Strategic Security

This article focuses on the regional requirements for a pacification of Afghanistan. For this purpose, Afghanistan is analytically "reframed" as part of South Asia. The hypothesis is that India is the only regional actor that might possess both the incentives and the capabilities to deal with the negative security externalities emanating from Afghanistan.In South Asia, material characteristics such as the delineation of the region and its power polarity are unclear. India's role within the region is even more controversial. By examining India's role within its security environment, this paper will suggest how this lack of clarity could be remedied. In …

Ballistic Missile Defense: New Plans, Old Challenges, Elizabeth Zolotukhina

Journal of Strategic Security

On September 17, 2009—the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 that marked the beginning of World War II—the Obama Administration announced its intention to shelve plans for the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) that had been developed under former President George W. Bush. Pointing to a new intelligence assessment, President Obama argued that his predecessor's plan to deploy an X-band radar station outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and 10 two-stage interceptor missiles in Poland would not adequately protect America and its European allies from the Iranian threat and reiterated his opposition to utilizing unproven technology in …

Small To Mid-Size Sporting Events: Are We Prepared To Recover From An Attack?, Brian M. Harrell, Konrad Crockford, Pierre Boisrond, Sarah Tharp-Hernandez, Suzanne Parker

Journal of Strategic Security

This article describes a fictional deadly attack by a lone-wolf terrorist during a high school football event in a small town, here in the United States. The authors begin by describing an attack and then focus on the response from the medical community, city, county, state, and federal government officials. Next, the authors make several recommendations on what actions are needed to develop an effective plan to combat terrorist activities during a small- to mid-size sports event. Among the actions needed, the authors focus on the following: response planning, emergency action plan, incident command, policies and procedures, and security staff …

The Weakest Link: The Risks Associated With Social Networking Websites, Yosef Lehrman

Journal of Strategic Security

The relatively rapid rise in popularity of social networking services is now well known. MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook have become well known sites and terms. According to the Web traffic tracking site Alexa.com, as of December 2009, Facebook had 350 million registered users, MySpace just under 475 million, and Twitter 44.5 million. Many people think very little of posting prodigious amounts of personal information on social networking sites, not realizing that this information puts them at risk. Specifically, those in the law enforcement and military communities may not realize that information posted on these sites can compromise operational security and …

Book Reviews, Edward J. Hagerty, Daniel Masters, Mark J. Roberts, Leland Ericson

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Sida Ddg Evaluation, Kennet Korayi, Tim Lardner, Anna Wood

Global CWD Repository

On 1 March 2008 Danish Demining Group (DDG) entered into a two-year agreement with the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) to implement the project "Survey, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and Mine Risk Education in Southern Sudan". The project aims to support the repatriation process for refugees and IDPs in South Sudan by providing a safe environment for the returnees and communities, and facilitating the work of humanitarian organisations. As the project is scheduled to end in 2010, Sida and DDG decided to commission an evaluation to inform the decision concerning a possible extension. The evaluation was conducted by a team …

Development Of An Outcomes-Based Undergraduate Curriculum In Homeland Security, James D. Ramsay, Daniel A. Cutrer, Robert Raffel

Security Studies & International Affairs - Daytona Beach

As a professional discipline, homeland security is complex, dynamic, and interdisciplinary and not given to facile definition. As an academic discipline, homeland security is relatively new and growing, and its workforce aging. As such, there is an acknowledged need to develop academic homeland security programs to try and meet anticipated workforce needs. However, the lack of an accreditation system or a set of available published outcomes (or standards) have complicated efforts towards homeland security program development. At present, determining which courses to teach and which outcomes in each course to pursue must be left to anecdotal conversations, reviews of the …

A Question Of Investment: Is Prevention Worth The Price?, Scott B. Smith, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

In today’s calculus of public and private budgeting, an ounce of prevention may no longer be worth a pound of “cure.”

“Prevention” takes many forms: Preparing one’s family for an emergency. Buying life and property insurance. Buying corporate insurance. Having a sufficiently-sized and well-trained security workforce at your workplace. Supporting law enforcement efforts to get one step ahead of the bad guy (whether a criminal or a terrorist). Supporting entities like UNLV’s Institute for Security Studies whose sole raison d’etre is to make Las Vegas and Nevada a safe and secure place to live, work and visit.

Development Of An Outcomes-Based Undergraduate Curriculum In Homeland Security, James D. Ramsay, Daniel Cutrer, Robert Raffel

Applied Aviation Sciences - Daytona Beach

As a professional discipline, homeland security is complex, dynamic, and interdisciplinary and not given to facile definition. As an academic discipline, homeland security is relatively new and growing, and its workforce aging. As such, there is an acknowledged need to develop academic homeland security programs to try and meet anticipated workforce needs. However, the lack of an accreditation system or a set of available published outcomes (or standards) have complicated efforts towards homeland security program development. At present, determining which courses to teach and which outcomes in each course to pursue must be left to anecdotal conversations, reviews of the …

Hope, Despair, And Human Rights, James Pattison

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Joshua Kurlantzick's “The Downfall of Human Rights” in Newsweek makes for a sobering read. The major Western states, he argues, are no longer interested in the promotion of human rights, but are instead focused on rebuilding themselves after the global recession. Kurlantzick notes further that the Obama administration avoids strong criticism of China, Russia, and other human rights violators because of its desire to demarcate itself from the previous administration's moralizing democracy promotion. To add to Kurlantzick's case for the West's lack of concern about human rights, one could cite the recent and blatantly human rights-violating anti-terror laws of several …

The Politics Of Immigration: A Representation Of The Unconscious Mind, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the concept of an illegal immigrant from different psychological perspectives.

Terrorism And The Law: Show Trials And Why The Show Must Go On, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the nature and meaning of terrorism trials during the United States’ war on terror.

Cia And The Cold War Era, Mary E. Byers

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency and its role in the Cold War. Great detail highlights the timeliness of the CIA’s creation and dynamic role over the years that followed its founding. For half a century, attempts to understand the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dominated the CIA’s agenda. Thus, careful study of this era is important to understanding the progression of intelligence within the United States. The avenue of research for this thesis was a collaboration of published books, online journals, credible websites, and personal interviews. The development of the …

Ddasaccident589, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team leader [the Victim] was doing a QA check on one of the Foot Track already cleared by the deminer. Out of five mines laid only one M14 AP mine has been recovered from this FT. The team leader was trying to recheck the cleared area again with the metal detector trying to find the missing mine, during his QA check he stepped on one deep buried M14 AP mine in the area which has been already checked by the deminer and Team Leader.

Aviation & Maritime Homeland Security: A Comparative Case Study, Staphanie Aileen Webb

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Business and Public Affairs at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Public Administration by Stephanie Aileen Webb on April 14, 2010.

To Think Nuclear, To Go Nuclear, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses three of the many psychological problematics about nuclear weapons, weapons employment, and war underlying the language of policies, programs, plans, treaties, and one’s support or rejection of them.

Ddasaccident595, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 9th April 2010 at 10:27 while [the Victim] was working in his clearance lane, busy in excavation drill, the accident happened and caused severe injuries to his right hand (traumatic amputation) and some minor injuries to his neck and nose. His visor was broken down and separated from headband. As per the investigation report, the deminer has breached the SOPs as dug directly down on top of the mine. It is also possible that he tried to work in a bit hurry to increase the progress. As he was fully dressed with PPE, therefore, remained save from other severe …

Ddasaccident625, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

We took the safety brief before we start working from the team leader then we entered the field, through the 1st period of work I cleared 3 AP mines from the mixed cluster (AP, AT) in Jaber 1 area, on the 2nd period at 9:11 am I cleared a 3 o’clock mine then moved to 9 o’clock mine, while searching I heard a signal and marked it then looked for it using the light rake but because it’s a hard stony area I used the heavy rake then, while progressing 15 cm from the right side I pulled the rake …

The Psychology Of Female Suicide Terrorism: Context And A Partial, Annotated Bibliography, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author examines the phenomena of female suicide in the context of terrorism, and the reasons women suicide, examining selected sources on the topic.

Falkland Islands Malvinas Exploitation Report 2010, C. King Associates Ltd.

Global CWD Repository

A series of three reports were published by the Demining Programme Office in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

This report outlines the technical support provided to the demining programme during the Austral summer of 2009/2010. The majority of the technical support provided fell into two categories:

• Detection: activities intended to enable the contractor to establish their detection capabilities against the minimum-metal mines.
• Exploitation: examination of recovered mines in order to observe the effects of aging and assess their implications.

The Final Fight: The 2008 Battle Of Sadr City, Geoffrey Ensby

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Iraq following the US invasion in March of 2003 was a dangerous place, and one in which the national government struggled to maintain control while unsanctioned and unauthorized strongmen and their militias controlled wide swaths of territory. This analysis will thus look at the 2008 Battle of Sadr City between the militia of radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the military forces of Iraq and the US conducting the operation in concert. Utilizing a number of newspaper accounts and editorials, journal articles, recent books, and freelance journalists’ writings, several key aspects will be considered regarding how Iraq was changed for …

Demining Programme Office In The Falkland Islands - Technical Support 2010, Colin King, Fenix -. Insight

Global CWD Repository

A series of three reports were published by the Demining Programme Office in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

This report outlines the technical support provided to the demining programme during the Austral summer of 2009/2010. The majority of the technical support provided fell into two categories:

• Detection: activities intended to enable the contractor to establish their detection capabilities against the minimum-metal mines.
• Exploitation: examination of recovered mines in order to observe the effects of aging and assess their implications.

April Roundtable: Genocide And Us National Interests Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“How Genocide Became a National Security Threat” by Michael Abramowitz & Lawrence Woocher. Foreign Policy. February 26, 2010.

Do Drones Have A Silver Lining?, David Akerson

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Michael Abramowitz and Lawrence Woocher’s article, “How Genocide Became a National Security Threat,” flags an important milestone in American foreign policy, namely that mass atrocities might now be appropriately viewed as the national security threats that they are. The problem with translating this policy development into action is the next and not insignificant challenge. Aerial drones may be key to overcoming it.

Genocide Myopia: How Reframing Mass Atrocity Could Backfire, Sonia Cardenas

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The United States has long viewed genocide and mass atrocity as tragic, moral problems divorced from national interests. This may be changing under the Obama administration, with genocide and mass atrocity being reframed as problems to be solved pragmatically. Michael Abramowitz and Lawrence Woocher celebrate this “unprecedented breakthrough” in Foreign Policy, urging President Obama to follow up with specific measures: strategic military planning, interagency coordination, firm leadership, and concrete action on Darfur. Despite the promise of overcoming inaction and focusing on prevention, the new vision of genocide and mass atrocity Abramowitz and Woocher depict remains myopic. It is narrowly focused …

A Break From The Old Routine...., Todd Landman

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Abramowitz and Woocher highlight a potentially significant shift in policy discourse in international relations with respect to humanitarianism and the prevention of genocide. For many years, the United States has suffered from the twin problems of the human rights “double standard” and “Catch-22.” On the one hand, particular countries have been seen as vital by the United States for intervention on humanitarian grounds even though many believed other geostrategic interests are at stake (e.g. Kosovo in 1999) and others have not (e.g. Rwanda in 1994). On the other hand, US intervention on humanitarian grounds can be criticized as heavy-handed or …

On Genocide And The National Interest, James Pattison

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In the second presidential debate, Barack Obama said, in response to a question about the crisis in Darfur, that “when genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening somewhere around the world and we stand idly by, that diminishes us. And so I do believe that we have to consider it as part of our interests, our national interests, in intervening where possible.” In a similar vein, Michael Abramowitz and Lawrence Woocher highlight how genocide is increasingly being seen as a security threat by the White House.

National Mine Action Plan For The Period 2010-2023 For Vietnam, The Socialist Republic Of Vietnam

Global CWD Repository

The outline of the National Mine Action Plan Period 2010-2025 in Vietnam. Translated in English and includes original Vietnamese text.

Maturing International Cooperation To Address The Cyberspace Attack Attribution Problem, Jeff J. Mcneil

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

One of the most significant challenges to deterring attacks in cyberspace is the difficulty of identifying and attributing attacks to specific state or non-state actors. The lack of technical detection capability moves the problem into the legal realm; however, the lack of domestic and international cyberspace legislation makes the problem one of international cooperation. Past assessments have led to collective paralysis pending improved technical and legal advancements. This paper demonstrates, however, that any plausible path to meaningful defense in cyberspace must include a significant element of international cooperation and regime formation.

The analytical approach diverges from past utilitarian-based assessments to …