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A Call For Standardized Data: The Demining 2010 Initiative Conference As An Opportunity For Consensus, C. Jared Coffin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In response to the problem of landmines around the world, the United States has created a Demining 2010 Initiative that is "a U.S.-led initiative to develop, marshal and commit the resources" to end the landmine threat to civilians by the year 2010. One aspect of this initiative is the Demining 2010 Initiative Conference, to be held in the summer of 1998. This conference offers an opportunity to standardize data collection methods to more accurately assess the landmine problem.

Us Central Command: Uscentcom Demining Program: 1998 And Beyond, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The USCENTCOM Humanitarian Demining (HD) Program has recently undergone a dramatic change in direction. This article will describe our old program, our new program, and our expected future.

Humanitarian Demining: The Challenge For Robotic Research, Stefan Havlík, Peter Licko

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Current methods for detecting and removing mines are dangerous, too costly, and, considering the number of abandoned mines, very slow. Mechanical systems are most frequently used to clear large areas polluted by mines. Mechanical systems usually consist of a tank that uses rollers to apply pressure to the ground, rotary flails that beat the ground, or a rake that unearths and presses the mines. The main drawback of purely mechanical demining is that no system can satisfy the desired 100% reliability of humanitarian demining. Consequently, all cleaned areas require manual verification. Thus, an urgent need exists to develop safe and …

Us Pacific Command: Pacom Demining, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The responsibility for humanitarian demining operations and training in the US Pacific Command falls on the Special Operations Command, Pacific (SOCPAC), which is located at Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii. SOCPAC is the U.S. Commander-in-Chief, Pacific (USCINCPAC) executive agent for all demining operations and related activities such as mine awareness.

Global Environment Conflict In The Postcold War Era: Linkage To An Extended Paradigm, Michelle Zebich-Knos

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

The end of the Cold War era has opened a Pandora's Box of environmental concerns that, heretofore, took a back seat to superpower struggles. Today, conflict is no longer played out within a Cold War conceptual framework. Imperfect, and at times, inconsistent as the Cold War framework was, it nevertheless provided decision makers with a recipe for action--or inaction. Since conflict is no longer structured within this framework, the two former superpowers --the United States and Russia--no longer possess clear yardsticks for action. With superpower interference in "proxy" conflict(s) no longer the definitive factor in the international arena, I …

Aggressivity And Violence: An Alternative Theory Of Human Nature, Mary E. Clark

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

I open by clarifying the term "aggression" which is used in many contexts besides the one I am discussing (e.g. "the aggressive treatment of disease," or "the aggression of a predatory hunter," etc.). I restrict it to "intentional acts of violence meant to hurt one another, physically or psychologically."

Humanitarian Demining: Ten Years Of Lessons, Ronco Consulting Corporation

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

RONCO is an international professional services firm that provides public and private sector clients with advisory, training, implementation, and management assistance. Founded in 1974, the firm has worked in developing countries on over 300 development projects. RONCO has been involved extensively in humanitarian demining for over ten years and has no relationship of any kind with the ordnance manufacturing industry or its distributors. The company's business is sustainable development.

Facilitation And Mediation In South Africa: Three Case Studies, Hendrik W. Van Der Merwe

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

In this paper I discuss three case studies of facilitation and mediation in South Africa: 1) facilitation between the South African apartheid establishment and the African National Congress in exile from 1963 to 1989; 2) facilitation that eventually led to mediation between Inkatha and the United Democratic Front in Natal over 10 months from 1985 to 1986; and 3)mediation between the African National Congress and the Afrikaner Freedom Foundation (Afrikaner Vryheidstigting, also known as Avstig) over 18 months from 1991 to 1993.

Mediation And Multicultural Reality, Michelle Lebaron

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

Mediation and multiculturalism arise from separate histories and serve different ends. Mediation is a collaborative alternative to the legal system for resolving all kinds of conflicts. Multiculturalism is the philosophy and practice of honouring cultural difference through developing systems that institutionalize pluralism (Roberts and Clifton, 1990). While each of these ideas have animated programs and literatures, little attention was given to the connections between them until the early nineties.¹ Since that time, conflict resolution systems and processes have been scrutinized for embedded cultural values and implications for who is included and excluded. Training programs in mediation have progressed …

Trends. Pakistan Evens The Score: Do We Need An Overtime?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the recent Pakistani government nuclear detonations.

Ddasaccident117, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

As the officials were pulling the destroyed vehicle away over another area of road (cleared by a mine-dog group in 1997) one of its wheels detonated another AT device at the side of the road. Three people were injured and the vehicle was "further damaged".

Ddasaccident122, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

No independent accident report was available in July 1998. A preliminary accident report from the demining group recorded that a deminer had an injury while prodding. No other details were made available.

Ddasaccident123, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim was working normally and registered a detector reading, so marked the spot and began prodding towards it. Before he reached the marked point an undetected mine detonated at 11:15. They found that he was working in a squatting position without wearing his helmet. They also found that he "ignored" correct prodding procedure and so applied pressure directly onto the pressure plate of the mine.

Attributions And International Political Conflict, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article highlights the relevance of some recent research on psychological attribution processes to the prevention, development, maintenance, exacerbation, and attenuation of international political conflict.

Ddasaccident124, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was going to inspect the work of a breaching party when at 09:30 he stepped on a mine that the deminers had missed during clearance.

Ddasaccident018, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It was while excavating with a "demining trowel" [see Analysis] at 08:30 that he detonated an anti-personnel mine, leaving him with "slight" injuries to his left hand and right thigh (it is presumed that the latter was caused by the handle of the "trowel"). The victim was blown onto his back and the trowel was found much further away. The victim was approximately 0.8m from the mine, and the crater was taken to indicate that it was buried to a depth of about 20cm.

Why Do Not All Separatist Movements Aim For Secession? The Cases Of Chechnia And Tatarstan, Mesut Acar

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Which ethnic groups are more likely to secede is a debated question among scholars. One view, as proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein, holds that ethnic groups living in economically advanced regions are more likely to secede. In contrast, other scholars like Donald Horowitz claim that backward groups in backward regions are more likely to secede. One aim of this thesis is to explore which view has better explanatory power for two republics in the Russian Federation: the Republic of Chechnia and the Republic of Tatarstan. In 1992 they were the two most separatist regions in the Russia. Later they diverged, and …

Ddasaccident216, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

This team was demining in an area of very difficult terrain. Dogs were the best solution to the problem at hand. Correct drills were being employed. Supervision and Quality Assurance measures were entirely sufficient. Evidence suggests that the dog sat on the mine, causing the mine to detonate. Three personnel were injured by one mine. Evacuation time was one hour and thirty-five minutes from the time of detonation to arrival at the hospital.

Ddasaccident217, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A Team Leader partially detonated a PMA-2 mine whilst deploying his team to their tasks. [Demining group] state that this mine was a re-laid mine. There is an equal amount of evidence to show that it could have been a mine that was missed on the original clearance of the lane.

Ddasaccident019, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred near a high voltage pylon to the south of Moamba town and approximately 22 km from the demining group’s camp. The pylon was mined during the armed conflict and a barbed wire fence was put up to prevent the entry of people and animals. Outside this fence were other mines of the PMN, PMN-2 and PMD-6 types.

Ddasaccident218, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigator concluded that the accident occurred as a result of the victim's "total disregard of the inherent dangers of the area and [his] failure to conform to normal work procedures.

Ddasaccident021, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim was working as a deminer in a lane where “mechanical demining” had taken place. He detonated a PMN-2 mine with his “demining tool”.

Ddasaccident126, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident area had been cleared in the previous year and various UXO had been found, including half-buried mortars and M77 grenades. A seasonal wind had buried them. The victim was walking over the cleared area at 17:15 from his "base camp" when he initiated the device. He "lost" both legs and suffered superficial injuries on his abdomen and hands.

Ddasaccident127, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the deminer was "excavating" to investigate a detector reading when the accident occurred. He was using a shovel to do so. Investigators were unable to visit the accident site [due to deminer mobility and seasonal redeployment], so the report relied on interviews and written statements.

Ddasaccident127, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the deminer was "excavating" to investigate a detector reading when the accident occurred. He was using a shovel to do so. Investigators were unable to visit the accident site [due to deminer mobility and seasonal redeployment], so the report relied on interviews and written statements.

Ddasaccident128, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The victim said that the dogs checked a leash length (8m) and both dogs indicated a suspect point. The point was investigated and the fuse of a mortar was found. He was checking the second leash at a distance of 11 metres from the first when he stepped on a mine at 11:10.

Ddasaccident164, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The mined area was a road that linked Malay with National Route 5. The victim was working as a prodder man in one of the ditches that ran along both sides of the road. He was squatting at the bottom and working his way up the side. The ground had a very hard crust to a depth of 2cm and was soft underneath. The victim's partner marked a reading and then moved back to allow the victim to investigate. Because the ground was hard, the victim used a "trowel" to break up the surface, but initiated the mine.

Ddasaccident219, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators concluded that the mine had been missed during the earlier clearance tasks. Also that the training area was "extremely hostile" and easier sites could have been used. The investigators observed that the UN MAC Technical Guides "give no real guidance as to what alternative procedures should be undertaken" when detecting and prodding are inadequate in an area. In previous missed mine incidents in the area (involving two other commercial companies) the mines were also PMA-2s.

Ddasaccident007, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The investigators determined that the victim used a "long handled shovel" while investigating a detector reading. He was digging by placing his foot on the shovel when the mine went off. The proximity to the power lines made the detectors signal continually in some places. The density of sub-surface roots made the demining group feel it was unsuitable for manual prodding.

Ddasaccident129, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

This accident involved a “P2MK2” minimum metal blast mine. [P2MK1 and P2MK2 mines are frequently given the same last number.] A letter explaining why it was not identified at the time was found on file in September 1999 - stating that the same mine occurred in two accidents at the site and that survey had not thrown up the presence of minimum metal mines.