Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Influence Of Soil Properties On The Performance Of Metal Detectors And Gpr, Kazunori Takahashi, Holger Preetz, Jan Igel

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article examines the effects of four soil types on metal detector and GPR performance and proposes the development of a classification system based on soil type to aid in the selection of effective methods for manual demining.

Detecting And Classifying Uxo, Laurens Beran, Barry Zelt, Stephen Billings

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article presents state-of-the-art unexploded ordnance detection and classification, including examples from recent field-demonstration studies. After reviewing sensor technologies, with a focus on magnetic and electromagnetic systems, the authors discuss advanced processing techniques that allow for reliable discrimination between hazardous ordnance and harmless metallic clutter. Finally, the article shows results from a large-scale field demonstration conducted in 2011. In this case study, electromagnetic data acquired with an advanced sensor is used to identify ordnance at the site, reducing the number of excavations required with conventional metal detectors by 85%.

Pm/Wra Director Jim Lawrence Retires, Leaves A Legacy, Lois Carter Crawford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

By integrating the public and private sectors, Jim Lawrence of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) has brought energy, innovation and passion to mine action. Through anecdotes, coworkers and friends remember Lawrence and his influence on the field as he retires.

In Remembrance: Lawal Johnson, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With great sadness, Novetta Solutions announces the unexpected death of Lawal Johnson, who died 2 January 2013.

Poland Ratifies The Apmbc, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On 4 December 2012 Poland became the 161st state to ratify the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC).

Republic Of The Congo Is Mine-Free, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In January 2012, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of the Congo asked Norwegian People’s Aid to assist in fulfilling its Article 5 obligations to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC).

Ernest Konschel: Inventor Of Early Mine Clearance Vehicles, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After the death of a relative by a landmine in 1974 during the Rhodesian Bush War, Ernest Konschel, a self-employed electrical and mechanical engineer, took an interest in how to minimize damage and fatalities from landmine incidents.

Issue 17.1 Endnotes, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Issue 17.1 Endnotes

Building Capacity To Clear Erw In Georgia, Gvantsa Kvinikadze

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From October 2010 to September 2012, NATO’s Georgia Explosive Remnants of War and Medical Rehabilitation Partnership for Peace project provided extensive explosive ordnance disposal training to the Georgian Military Engineering Brigade and supplied needed medical rehabilitation equipment to Gori Military Hospital.

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 17.1 (2013), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Clearance Operations | Gender and Age Issues | Notes from the Field | Research and Development

A Review Of External Post-Clearance Inspection: How Cost-Effective Is It?, Åsa Gilbert, Aron Larsson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining conducted a study in early 2012 to consider the effectiveness of performing external post-clearance inspections. GICHD took into account the practices of the International Mine Action Standards, the International Organization for Standardization and the numerous mine action programs worldwide. It also worked with the Swedish company Preference Consulting to determine the mathematical probability of finding a mine/explosive remnant of war during external post-clearance inspections. Lastly, GICHD examined the normative effect of external post-clearance inspections as well as the financial cost associated with their execution.

Legal Aspects Of The Land Release Process, Pehr Lodhammar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article explores areas of liability in mine action operations. It defines the concept of residual risk after completion of survey and clearance efforts and presents methods of assigning responsibility for it. The author offers further legal considerations in mine action, including the extent to which contractors are liable for their equipment, employees and the cleared land both during and after operations as well as the process by which national mine action standards are incorporated into the legal liability of all concerned actors.

Aicma Helps Demine Nicaragua’S Gocen District, Addison Embrey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Gocen district of the Mateare municipality in Chiltepe Peninsula, 20 km (12 mi) outside of Managua, Nicaragua, was contaminated with explosive remnants of war from the artillery school that operated nearby. With support from Acción Integral Contra las Minas Antipersonal (Comprehensive Action Against Antipersonnel Mines, AICMA), a program of the Organization of American States, a large portion of the contaminated land in Gocen was cleared and released in 2012.

How To Improve Demining Activities Through Gender-Sensitive Mine Risk Education, Abigail Jones, Arianna Calza Bini, Stella Salvagni Varó

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Until recently, mine action was widely perceived as a military and technical field where an almost exclusively male staff planned and implemented activities. However, there is still a need for a better understanding of what mine-affected communities can gain from including gender and age perspectives in mine action and how the different pillars of mine action mutually improve the quality and impact of mine action programs.

Minesweepers: Towards A Landmine-Free Egypt, An Outdoor Humanitarian Demining Robotic Competition, Alaa Khamis

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Listed as one of the most contaminated countries in the world, Egypt has an estimated 22.7 million landmines and other explosive remnants of war. In order to foster the research, development and application of robotics in humanitarian demining in Egypt, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Robotics and Automation Society – Egypt Chapter organized Minesweepers: Towards a Landmine-Free Egypt, an outdoor robotic competition hosted by the German University in Cairo from 15–17 September 2012.

Post-Conflict Recovery: Gender And Age Issues, Stella Salvagni Varó, Ciro Hamo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Despite improvements in victim assistance programs, injured survivors of landmines/explosive remnants of war still struggle to obtain health care and employment. Differentiating between the age and gender of survivors will enable service providers to identify socioeconomic needs.

Women After The Rwandan Genocide: Making The Most Of Survival, Cameron Macauley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 2009, IBUKA’s peer-support program for genocide survivors in Rwanda has given observers a unique opportunity to work with women who experienced the violence of 1994. In 2010 James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery began providing technical assistance for this program. This article describes some of the particular characteristics of women survivors in the 19 years since the genocide.

Munitions Risk Education In Cambodia, Sambath Chan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Contamination from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia poses a serious threat to citizens and impedes economic progress. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre’s Mine/UXO Awareness Programme focuses on educating citizens and refugees on landmine and explosive remnants of war safety. CMAC, together with other organizations, also implements the Community Based Mine/UXO Risk Reduction Project, a program that emphasizes community participation with mine action services.

Afghanistan’S Landmine-Removal Extension Request, Justyna Pietralik

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Recent conflicts, lack of funding and limited information about mined areas in Afghanistan has prevented the country from meeting its 2013 deadline of becoming mine impact-free. The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan, along with the Afghan government, submitted a plan proposing to extend Afghanistan’s landmine-removal deadline to 2023. The extension request included almost 200 pages of details regarding mine history and future plans.

Geneva Call Launches First Ansa Database, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In November 2012 Geneva Call launched "Their Words,” an information database. The database provides published commitments and internal rules and regulations of armed non-state actors.

Faces Of Mine Action: Manizha Rasheed Kamal, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With a law degree from Preston University in Pakistan and in her current role as a contracts management coordinator at the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan, Manizha Rasheed Kamal has more education and experience than many other Afghan women.

How To Know If You're An Extremist, Katherine M. White

SURGE

I’m a serious West Wing fan. I love it because it not only gives me a little insight into what is obviously a totally accurate depiction of what life is like working in the White House (right?) but it also makes me think. Take this scene from season 3 as an example:

Josh Lyman, the Deputy White House Chief, is stuck in the White House cafeteria with a group of high school students while the White House is under emergency lockdown. Since the students have been promised the opportunity to speak to influential people in D.C. during their visit, Lyman …

Tamziq, Scattered And Connected: A Conversation In Art By Middle Eastern And American Artists, Paul Atwood, William Joiner Center For The Study Of War And Social Consequences, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The number of Iraqi refugees resettled in the United States has grown from only 202 in 2006 to approximately 17,000 in 2009. Since 2007, 58,810 Iraqi refugees have arrived in the United States. This group now forms the largest refugee population in the state of Massachusetts. At the same time, a large number of veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

This project recognizes the increasing need for dialogue and exchange with and within these communities and a further need to broaden understanding of the cultural influences on our changing communities.

Center For Peace, Democracy, And Development, Center For Peace, Democracy, And Development, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development is dedicated to advancing peace, democracy, rule of law, and economic and social development in developing areas abroad.

The Forum For Cities In Transition: An Initiative Of The Moakley Chair Of Peace And Reconciliation, Padraig O'Malley

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

FCT is an international network of mayors, councilors, municipal officials, business people, and representatives of the voluntary and community sector. The Forum works on the principle that cities that are in conflict or have emerged from conflict (divided societies) are in the best position to help other cities in similar situations. The Forum for Cities in Transition was founded by Professor Padraig O’Malley as an initiative of the John Joseph Moakley Chair of Peace and Reconciliation at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

A Guide On Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

This guide focuses on transitioning mine action programmes1 to national ownership. The GICHD and United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) commissioned case studies of transition in nine mine/ERW-affected countries to provide the evidence base for this guide. The case studies document programme implementation in very different environments – from least developed to developing countries and from low to very high levels of landmine/ERW contamination. Regardless of context, mine action programmes in all nine countries have achieved significant progress in clearance, stockpile destruction, Mine Risk Education (MRE) and even victim assistance. Many lives have been saved, the survivors helped and the …

Handover Of Released Land | Common Procedures And Good Practices, Gichd, Gender In Mine Action

Global CWD Repository

This report is based on the findings of eight country case studies. The research was carried out by GMAP and the GICHD.

It includes handover procedures and policies and standards. It also consolidates good practice and lessons learnt, assesses whether gender considerations are taken into account, and presents general recommendations.

Falkland Islands Malvinas Exploitation Report 2013, 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 publication reports on exploitation work that was carried out on SB-33, SB-81 and P4B mines during Phase 1 of clearance operations. This work was conducted on the following items:

• C3B anti-tank mines recovered from SA064
• An SB-33 anti-personnel mine discovered outside the mine rows of SA064
• Components of booby traps recovered from SA064

The findings from this work were intended to assess the condition of the ordnance in order to:

• Establish the general condition of the mines
• Indicate their ability to function, …

“Resistencia Es Permanencia”: Concepciones De Resistencia, Territorio Y Recuperaciones De Tierra En Dos Comunidades Mapuche, August Williams-Eynon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent decades the world has seen a backlash of resistance, especially among First Nations and indigenous populations, to what some characterize as new forms of colonization: the development of globalization, and the spread of neoliberal economic institutions and their guiding principles (Vanden 2007). This work locates the social movements of the Mapuche (an indigenous nation conquered by the Chilean army in 1883), and especially their pursuance of land recovery and territorial sovereignty, among the many such mobilizations occurring in Latin America, including the Zapatista movement in Mexico, the organizing of indigenous groups in Bolivia and the CONAIE (Confederación de …

Demining Programme Office In The Falkland Islands - Technical Support 2013, Colin King

Global CWD Repository

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

This publication reports on exploitation work that was carried out on SB-33, SB-81 and P4B mines during Phase 1 of clearance operations. This work was conducted on the following items:

• C3B anti-tank mines recovered from SA064
• An SB-33 anti-personnel mine discovered outside the mine rows of SA064
• Components of booby traps recovered from SA064

The findings from this work were intended to assess the condition of the ordnance in order to:

• Establish the general condition of the mines
• Indicate their ability to function, …