Defense and Security Studies Commons^™

Azerbaijan, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Azerbaijan declared independence from Russia in 1918, but was incorporated in the Soviet Union in 1920. It again declared independence in August 1991, following the collapse of the USSR. The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region is still unresolved after 10 years and Baku has yet to settle disputes with its neighbors over oil rights in the Caspian Sea. During 1988-1994, Karabakh Armenians declared independence and seized almost 20 percent of the country's territory, creating an estimated 750,000 Azerbaijani refugees. As a result of the war, western Azerbaijan is plagued with land mines. Both sides have generally …

Part I, Strategic Management For Mine Action Operations: A Case For Government-Industry Partnering, Alan Childress, Pete Owen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Directed mainly at policy makers and leaders in mine-plagued nations and government and non-government mine action planners, the article argues for holistic mine action strategies, coordinated priorities, and best management practices. The authors establish the need for nations to take charge of their mine action organizations and present strategic management methodology to implement self-determination concepts. They insist that humanitarian demining must start with the end in mind, an integrated and nationally prioritized requirements analysis of each of the mine action areas-mine awareness, mine field assessment and surveys, mine and UXO clearance, victim assistance and information management. They also suggest that …

Belarus, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Gomel, Minsk, the capital, and the most heavily mined area, Vitebsk. Many of the officials in Belarus are trying to educate the people and show them the proper way to handle a mine if encountered and more importantly, what not to do. Two non-governmental organizations, the Belarus Support Center for Associations and Foundations (SCAF), and the Belarus Campaign to Ban Land mines (BCBL), are working with the Belarussian government to help promote safety and build solid support centers for the victims of land mines. SCAF, established in 1996, strives to develop the culture and society of Belarus by supporting other …

Georgia, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Following the April 9, 1991, independence from the former Soviet Union, Georgia was beset by ethnic and civil strife. The continuing argument over the political status of Abkhazia resulted in war. In September 1993, Georgian forces withdrew from the Abkhazia region. Although Georgia stabilized, South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain elusive. The conflict in South Ossetia has been dormant since spring 1994, but sporadic violence continues between Abkhaz forces and Georgian partisans in western Georgia. Of their estimated population of 5,000,000, Georgia still has about 250,000 internally displaced people as a result of these conflicts. After adopting a new constitution in …

Moldova, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Moldova is split into two main regions, Bessarabia and Transnistria. Bessarabia is in the eastern part of historic Moldova and is mostly Romanian while Transnistria is the land on the eastern bank of the Nistru River and is mostly Slavic (Ukrainians and Russians). After the Russo-Turkish War in 1806-12, Bessarabia ceded to Russia. Finally on Aug. 27, 1991, Moldova declared its independence from the USSR and was recognized by the United States in December of that same year as they opened an embassy in its capital in 1992. A new constitution was adopted on July 28, 1994, which forever replaced …

Ukraine, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Ukraine has been struggling for its independence from several countries that have tried to consume it and minimize its boundaries. The Bolshevik Revolution prompted the Russian Ukrainians to establish a new republic in 1917 while the Austrian Ukraine waited until a year later to establish their connection with the Russian Ukraine. Ukraine was excluded from much of the decision making during the closing of World War I and Poland was given the land they wished for, Galicia, in 1919. This single act sparked war once again. The war continued as the country itself was thrown into internal turmoil and change …

Georgia On My Mind, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This issue of the Journal of Mine Action focuses on one of the world's most interesting regions as it examines landmines and unexploded ordnance in Europe and the Caucasus as well as highlighting organizations from that region engaged in humanitarian mine action. Whether we are discussing landmines, post-conflict reconstruction, geo-politics, resources or regional security, you can't seem to have a comprehensive discussion of the region without, in some way, viewing Georgia as a key to the future of the Caucasus.

The Journal Of Mine Action Issue 4.1 (2000), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines in Europe and the Caucasus

The U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program In The Balkans, Matt Murphy

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As a result of years of conflict in the Balkans, countless landmines have been laid in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. Bosnia-Herzegovina's landmine problem is severe, with an estimated 750,000 landmines and an undetermined quantity of unexploded ordnance infesting some 186 square miles of land. These hidden killers have killed and maimed hundreds, vastly impeded the return of refugees to their homes, and hindered international efforts to help people in the region.

The Munitions Challenge In Albania, Steve Brown

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Political controversy, economic chaos and increasing criminality have faced Albania since its democratic revolution in late 1990. Anti-government demonstrations erupted into violence, which took the form of attacks against state facilities including public offices, schools, factories and military depots. Of particular concern were the attacks against ammunition and weapons storage areas. Over 600,000 weapons and several thousand tons of ammunition and explosives were looted and some 16 ammunition storage areas, known as Hot Spots, were set ablaze resulting in massive unexploded ordnance contamination of the sites and surrounding areas.

Bosnia And Herzegovina, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After Marshal Tito's death in 1980 and the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) divided into five different countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the Republic of Macedonia. After having declared its independence from SFRY in March 1992, BiH fought in a war that lasted over three-and-a-half years. This war destroyed families, communities and infrastructure and left the country littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance. After the Dayton agreement was signed on Dec. 14, 1995, the war officially ended and the country was …

Quality Assurance: Evaluation And Certification Of Humanitarian Demining Detection Equipment, Vjera Krstelj, Josip Stepanic Jr., Irena Leljak

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

An extensive number of humanitarian demining detection equipment (HDDE) in the development phase requires a well-established set of testing facilities. A combination of enthusiastic and scientific testing exists throughout the majority of these facilities. During the last several years, the process of humanitarian demining (HD) in Croatia has begun under the intense effort of the Croatian Mine Action Center and other institutions. The success in starting and performing the clearance of various mine-affected regions was a combination of mechanical demining and a systematic approach. Mechanical demining has given good results on the agricultural terrain and in the fields of homogeneous …

Kosovo, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Serbia and Montenegro are the only two remaining Yugoslavian republics. The federation began to dissolve in June 1991, when Croatia and Slovenia declared independence. The Republic of Serbia has two autonomous provinces, Kosovo and Vojvodina, which are administratively a part of Serbia. Most of the population in Kosovo is Albanian.

Road Trip With A Minecat, Stephanie Schlosser

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In The Journal of Mine Action 3.2, we spotlighted the Compact 230-Minecat, a multi-role platform suitable for both military and humanitarian applications whose primary role is to be a mine-clearance vehicle. Since that article in the summer of 1999, the Minecat has had a proper education, going through a series of tests in various landscapes and in front of rough judges. Landmine clearing is serious business and before a new piece of equipment can be put on the world market, it has to prove itself in rigorous settings. After all, the real customers in the demining marker are those people …

The Legacy Of War In Chechnya, Kimberly P. Hill

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Hundreds of lives are destroyed daily; most of which are left unrecorded and unacknowledged. The struggles and suffering of a few bears witness to the atrocities of many forgotten casualties and even survivors of all ages. The epidemic of landmines continues to devour many lives in its path, bur it is the aid of others and the written words of some that convey the true horror of their reality.

The Actuator: Demining Innovations, Lee Felsenstein, Steven E. Saunders

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This approach to humanitarian demining differs from generally accepted methodology. It has not yet been tried, and the purpose of this article is to ensure that the general concept is placed in the public domain, where it may be debated and modified without considerations of intellectual property. Interval Research Corporation, where this idea originated, is not in the business of mine clearance, or of manufacturing mine clearance systems, so the idea is being passed along to the community best capable of analyzing it.

The Ambitious Challenge Of Adopting A Mine Field, Larry Levine

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Dropci is a tiny, devastated, and currently empty community of family farmers in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Croatia. Its people are still refugees from the war, as the land is strewn with landmines, booby traps and unexploded ordnance. Monterey County, Calif., is known as the "Salad Bowl of the World" for its agricultural abundance, the "Golfing Capital of the World," and the site of the spectacular Big Sur coastline. Dropci and Monterey County are worlds apart. What is the cord that binds these two communities? The Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign, a program coordinated by the United Nations Association …

Improved Anti-Personnel Mine Neutralization Device Test Report, Christopher Wanner

Global CWD Repository

This report describes the results and analysis of the field test of the Improved Anti Personnel Mine Neutralization Device (APMINUD). This is the second test of this equipment and follows a six month design and engineering effort on the equipment to correct and improve upon deficiencies identified in the initial version of the APMINUD.

The APMINUD is a mechanical tool designed to safely detonate antipersonnel landmines as part of a peace time clearance operation. The APMINUD consists of a mobile blast and fragment containment shell, with a mechanical striker inside. It can be used in conjunction with a shielded, all …

Ibpp Research Associates - Perspective From Ghana On Terrorism, Staff Writer – The Ghanaian Times

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article - No Peace in Isolation by a staff writer at The Ghanaian Times - discusses terrorism as an international issue.

Aviation Security: An Analysis Of Opposition To Evaluating Racial Profiling Ii, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides a further elaboration of last week's IBPP article on the Arab American Institute (AAI)'s opposition to the Department of Transportation's (DOT) initiative to evaluate the discriminatory impact of the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening Program (CAPPS). It is based on an IBPP interview with the AAI President, James Zogby.

Trends. A Small Playbook For Terrorists?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the historical use of terrorism.

Aviation Security: An Analysis Of Opposition To Evaluating Racial Profiling, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article analyzes a public rationale for opposing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) efforts to evaluate the discriminatory impact of the FAA's own Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System.

The Many Routes To Assassination: Musings On Turkmenistan, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes some of the more common psychological routes leading to political assassination.

The Offenses Of Missile Defense System Failure, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the political psychology of analyses of a recent United States testing failure of components of a limited ballistic missile defense system.

Ddasaccident335, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred on land described as “agricultural, soft ground”. The demining group was engaged in Surveys (Levels 1 and 2). He found mines one on each side of the boundary lane and showed these to the supervisor. He was told to move the markers indicating the safe lane. As he turned, he stepped on a missed mine that was between the other two.

Ddasaccident321, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred in a mined area that had been worked on at the provincial government request since January 10th 2000. The method used was conventional manual demining. At 06:51 “while working in a dense vegetation area, the deminer used a machete to cut some branches “… He dragged the cut branches out and heard a “strange click”. He ran about “15 metres into a cleared area and took cover a few seconds before the F1-grenade exploded”.

Trends. Syria, Israel, And The Power Of Money, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article the political psychology and role of aid in the Middle East, focusing on the conflict between Israel and Syria.

Trends. Problems With The National Ignition Facility: Implications For Leadership And Test Bans, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article examines issues surrounding the National Ignition Facility (NIF), designed to allow scientists to study the properties of nuclear weapons without detonating them.

When Peacekeeping Is Not Peacemaking: Syrian-Israeli Negotiations At Shepherdstown, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article contrasts peacekeeping and peacemaking not only as distinct denotations but also as functional antitheses.

Ddasaccident264, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Team Leader could not see any devices and had turned to call the Site Supervisor at 11:50 when a BLU-97 on the other side of the fence detonated. The boy "suffered a cut nose" and the Team Leader "was deafened in his right ear and received minor metal fragmentation… to his lower right calf".