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Full-Text Articles in Emergency and Disaster Management
Countering The Global Landmine Epidemic Through Basic Scientific Research, Mark S. Rountree, Robert M. Harris
Countering The Global Landmine Epidemic Through Basic Scientific Research, Mark S. Rountree, Robert M. Harris
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Since their first use during the U.S. Civil War (Croll 1998), blast landmines have played a role in almost every armed conflict from the World Wars to the most recent limited skirmishes. Landmines are the epitome of the consummate soldier: always ready, never tiring. Mines are simple devices that can be fabricated with little effort and from readily available materials. In Sri Lanka, numerous news releases covering the conflict mention a "Johnny mine" (Botsford 1997), which is a local term for an improvised explosive device. Manufactured mines can be inexpensive, costing as little as two dollars apiece. If mine laying …
Central America Landmine Survivors: The Need For Action In Nicaragua, William Boyce
Central America Landmine Survivors: The Need For Action In Nicaragua, William Boyce
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Landmines are indiscriminate weapons, wounding and killing not only soldiers but women and children as well. Although hostilities may cease, landmines continue to maim and kill 500 victims a week, the equivalent of 26,000 additional disabled persons each year. There are at least 250,000 landmine-disabled people in the world, and the number continues to grow.
Mines Clearance International, Cisr Journal
Mines Clearance International, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Mines Clearance International (MCI) is an established humanitarian demining agency and a registered charity in the U.K. A fairly new organization, MCI was established, in April 1996, to respond to the problem landmines and unexploded ordnance posed to civilians, particularly in the underdeveloped nations of the Southern Hemisphere. MCI staff, though newly on board, includes well-qualified technical and aid personnel with experience in humanitarian responses to the landmine issue.
Gerbera Gmbh, Cisr Journal
Gerbera Gmbh, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Comprised of a staff comprehensively trained in international operations involving project management and mine clearance, GERBERA Gmbh strives to offer a range of services to mine-affected countries.
Eudem: The European Union In Humanitarian Demining, Karin De Bruyn, Claudio Bruschini, Hichem Sahli, Jan Cornelis
Eudem: The European Union In Humanitarian Demining, Karin De Bruyn, Claudio Bruschini, Hichem Sahli, Jan Cornelis
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The EUDEM project tried to provide the European Commission, as one of the largest sponsors of research in European humanitarian demining, with a survey titled "A State of the Art on Humanitarian Demining Technology, Products and Practice." Current practices and emerging technologies were discussed so that applied research can be directed toward solving real problems. Sustainable demining has to become more than "a man with a probe."
A Diary Of Destruction In Bosnia, Oren J. Schlein
A Diary Of Destruction In Bosnia, Oren J. Schlein
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
During the Bosnian war in the early 1990s, Croat, Muslim and Serb forces deployed between 600,000 and one million anti-personnel landmines. This can seem a meaningless figure until you see the effects of both exploded and unexploded landmines. Driving into town from the Sarajevo airport, I witnessed the striking contrast between the beauty of the hills surrounding the city and the pockmarked buildings damaged by relentless shelling during the Bosnian war. The old town has been largely restored to its historical charm, while the rest of the city and outlying areas continue to exhibit the awful blemishes of war. I …
Croatia, Country Profile
Croatia, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Croatia ceded from Yugoslavia in 1991. Cessation prompted a crackdown by Belgrade and an uprising by the Serbian minority. During the war of independence millions of mines were planted and the main cities were bombed. Western Slovenia and the Krajina were under the control of Serb forces loyal to Belgrade until April 1995 when Croatian HVO forces retook Western Slovenia. Zagreb was shelled in retaliation. In August 1995 Croatian forces swept across the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina to pursue the fleeing Serbs, and to dislodge Serb forces near Croatian territory. Croatian officials came out of the Dayton Peace Accords …
Conferences: Who Needs Them?, Dennis Barlow
Conferences: Who Needs Them?, Dennis Barlow
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The global mine action process seems to spawn conferences. During the past three years there have been at least 13 major gatherings which contained in their agendas major activities dedicated to improving demining operations. What have the three years of meetings, issue development, and projects produced? Have the conferences and attempts to frame operators' needs been a wasted effort, characterized by travel boondoggles of innumerable representatives to venues far and wide? Or have they driven real development and positive achievement?
Adopt A Minefield, Cisr Journal
Adopt A Minefield, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Adopt a Minefield Campaign engages individuals, community groups, and businesses in the United Nations effort to remove landmines around the world. The campaign helps to save lives by raising funds to clear mine fields and by raising awareness about the global landmine crisis.
Reducing The Threat Of Landmines For Kosovo's Children, Margaret S. Busé
Reducing The Threat Of Landmines For Kosovo's Children, Margaret S. Busé
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
UNICEF started mine-awareness activities in Kosovo February 1998. At that time the threat was perceived to be the result of the indiscriminate planting of landmines. The high rate of injuries among children and youth indicated UNICEF's need to target children and their parents. Children and youth are especially at risk because of their natural inquisitiveness and risk-taking behaviors.
Chechnya, Country Profile
Chechnya, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Chechnya is not recognized internationally as a sovereign state. It declared independence from Russia in September 1991, adopting the name Chechen Republic lchkeria. ln December 1994, the Russian Federation sent troops in the republic and used mines extensively. A peace agreement was signed in 1996, including the delay of the Chechen Republic lchkeria's official status until Jan. 1, 2001. Chechen leadership currently claims the independence of their republic but Russia maintains that Chechnya is part of the Russian Federation. Chechen law has been established but Russian law still applies. The humanitarian situation in Chechnya deteriorated steadily from the end of …
Slovenia, Country Profile
Slovenia, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Republic of Slovenia is a Central European country about the size of New Jersey, with a population of two million inhabitants. After World War I, Austria-Hungary disintegrated and Slovenia joined the new state, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The people of Slovenia voted for independence and sovereignty at a national referendum held on Dec. 23, 1990, and on June 26, 1991, the Republic of Slovenia proclaimed its independence.
Knights In Armored Vehicles: The Halo Trust In The Caucasus, Richard Boulter
Knights In Armored Vehicles: The Halo Trust In The Caucasus, Richard Boulter
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The demise of the Soviet Union and the resultant rush to establish claims over disputed areas and to assert ethnic identity led to a widespread call to arms. Nowhere was this more the case than in the Caucasus. T he former southern Caucasian "soviets" of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia have all asserted their independence from Russia and all have witnessed bloodshed resulting from inter-ethnic fighting. In the north Caucasus there has been fighting in Dagestan, lngushetia, North Ossetia and most notably in Chechnya. The virtual abandonment of former weapons stockpiles accompanied by some very definite mischief by the departing Russian …
The Slovenian International Trust Fund For Demining, Stephanie Schlosser
The Slovenian International Trust Fund For Demining, Stephanie Schlosser
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
On the web page of The Slovenia International Trust Fund for Deming (ITF) there is an image that, at first glance, could be an advertisement for a toy score. The image is of a child's doll. She appears bright and happy, with red ponytails and yellow ribbons, and a sunny yellow dress. The doll 's eyes glance playfully to one side, as if she is about co join a group of similarly happy friends. Suddenly, the doll's face and body change. With web animation, the doll 's right leg disappears along with her smile. Then you remember, this is a …
The Prom-1: Waiting In The Ground For The Deminers In Kosovo, Al J. Venter
The Prom-1: Waiting In The Ground For The Deminers In Kosovo, Al J. Venter
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The PROM-1, the worst in bounding anti-personnel mines and not much bigger than a beer can, is a vicious weapon whose shrapnel can penetrate almost any body armor. It cuts through the average Kevlar helmet like cardboard, as it does often enough for those who try to clear these deadly little bombs, and Kosovo is full of them.
A Squad Of Their Own, Margaret S. Busé
A Squad Of Their Own, Margaret S. Busé
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The first all-female demining team was deployed in Kosovo in late November 1999. Comprised of women refugees who had previously been housewives, they are the first all-female demining ream in the world. In Kosovo's traditional patriarchal society, few women work outside the home and until now, no women worked in this internationally male dominated occupation. The sight of the women deminers, long hair peeking out of helmets, has raised a few eyebrows. As one elderly farmer remarked upon seeing them, "My poor dears, you are so beautiful."
Responding To An Emergency: An Interview With Bob Macpherson, Care, Margaret S. Busé
Responding To An Emergency: An Interview With Bob Macpherson, Care, Margaret S. Busé
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In an interview with The Journal, Bob MacPherson spoke candidly and honestly about the challenges, successes and lessons learned in effectively responding to an emergency situation. MacPherson is responsible for landmine safety and awareness and is the emergency ream leader for CARE. Throughout 1999, he has been in Kosovo coordinating activities so that civilian lives can return to a stare of normalcy. Upon finishing our conversation, he was scheduled to fly to Chechnya to try to coordinate relief efforts for that war-ravaged country.
Chechnya: The Republic Of The Wolf, Margaret S. Busé
Chechnya: The Republic Of The Wolf, Margaret S. Busé
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In a state of humanitarian crisis, Chechnya, the poorest of states within the Russian Federation, continues to strive for independence. The prewar arsenal of landmines consisted primarily of PMN and OMZ mines. Stocks of PM's were moved to secret bases in the mountain regions during the war. There is also a considerable black market for landmines.
Unmik: Mine Action Coordination Center, Christine Brawdy
Unmik: Mine Action Coordination Center, Christine Brawdy
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In October 1999 when Kosovo Forces (KFOR) entered the Province of Pristina, they were immediately confronted with the problems encountered by a population returning through areas contaminated by unexploded, I NATO-dropped, cluster munitions (CBU). NATO advised that as many as 333 areas had been bombarded with such aerial delivered weapons. T hey found the problem extended to more than 600 mine fields left by the Serbian Army (VJ), Police (MUP), and other paramilitary forces. These were principally along the border with Albania and the Federal Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and scattered in other strategic areas on the interior.
Notes From The Field: Croatia, Marijana Prevendar
Notes From The Field: Croatia, Marijana Prevendar
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The disintegration of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, accelerated by the Communist Party's electoral defeat, spurred the Republic of Croatia to declare its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. As a result, forces from the Republic of Serbia, the largest republic in the former Yugoslavia, launched a campaign to block Croatia's drive for independence. The Croatian Serbs, backed by the Yugoslav government and armed with weapons from the Yugoslavian army, started an armed rebellion against the newly established Croatian government in 1991.
A Serbian Ghost Town In Need Of Recovery, Sinisa Malesevic
A Serbian Ghost Town In Need Of Recovery, Sinisa Malesevic
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
All sorts of people are hoping for the demining and reconstruction of Dropci, a "Serb village" approximately 45 kilometers from the municipality of Bihac in Unsko-Sanski Canton, located in the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This area was strategically important during the war, and much was done to protect it, which means there are plenty of mine fields. The few hundred people who lived here before the war (1992-1995) have all left.
Notes From The Field: Bosnia, Sinisa Malesevic
Notes From The Field: Bosnia, Sinisa Malesevic
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
One day not long ago, just as the sun was setting on the city of Doboj, Serb Republic, Jovic Mirko stepped on a Yugoslav-made PMA-2 antipersonnel mine and lost a foot. Some call him "lucky," it was only a foot, and he will sometimes agree. His misery would have been so much greater if the victim had been one of his two children. The potential for greater misery is ever present in the Mirko household. For one thing, the mine field is somewhere in their garden, right behind the house that the family moved into two years ago. On that …
Developing New Technology For Humanitarian Demining, Russell Gasser, Terry Thomas
Developing New Technology For Humanitarian Demining, Russell Gasser, Terry Thomas
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Despite the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on high-tech research over the last few years, local humanitarian deminers still use traditional prodders and metal detectors. The biggest recent technical innovation has been mechanical vegetation clearance which was mostly developed in the field and bypassed the research route.
Azerbaijan, Country Profile
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.