Public Policy Commons^™

16th Meeting Of The States Parties To The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (2017), Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

The 16MSP is a formal meeting of the 162 States which are parties to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. The 16MSP is being held in accordance with Article 11 of the Convention and pursuant to decisions of the 2016 Fifteenth Meeting of the States Parties (15MSP).

The 16MSP takes place on the year of the 20th anniversary of the adoption and signature of the Convention and will gather together States Parties and not party to the Convention, interested organisations and members of civil society to …

General Assembly Official Records, 72nd Session : 66th Plenary Meeting, Thursday, 7 December 2017, New York, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

Ms. Radwan (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): My delegation joined in the consensus adoption of resolution 72/75 to provide assistance in mine action because we believe in the importance of the issue and the need to provide assistance to the United Nations Mine Action Service and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action.At the same time, we deeply denounce the provision of $14 million to what the report called the Ministry of Education of Yemen, which is an entity affiliated with the Houthi rebel militias, who are planting thousands of mines within Yemen and along the borders of …

Prioritisation Policy, Procedures And Practices Relating To Uxo Clearance In Lao Pdr, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This report maps the current prioritisation system in Lao PDR, including UXO policies and related development policies of the Government of Lao PDR (GOL), standard operating procedures of UXO operators, and actual prioritisation practices of provincial, district and village‐level authorities, households, and UXO operators.

Expansibility And Army Intelligence, Rose P. Keravuori

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article provides insights valuable to transitioning America’s military intelligence resources from counterinsurgency operations to the force necessary for responding to a near-peer competitor in a major war.

National Capacities And Residual Contamination I Albania, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This case study forms part of a broader GICHD study on national capacities and residual contamination. The purpose of this report is to document Albania’s experience of developing national systems and capacities to address residual contamination and to identify and present good practices and lessons learnt.

Making Peace: Next Steps In Colombia, Seth Cantey, Ricardo Correa

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

After a brief history of the longest-running insurgency in the Western Hemisphere, this article contextualizes recent developments in the transition of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to legal politics in Colombia. The authors also provide policy recommendations for the US Department of Defense.

Expansibility And Army Special Operations Forces, Eric P. Shwedo

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines how Army Special Operations might prepare to expand in the event of a major war by resolving impediments to growth, improving recall procedures, and developing plans to expand training capacities.

Will War's Nature Change In The Seventh Military Revolution?, F. G. Hoffman

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines the potential implications of the combinations of robotics, artificial intelligence, and deep learning systems on the character and nature of war. The author employs Carl von Clausewitz’s trinity concept to discuss how autonomous weapons will impact the essential elements of war. The essay argues war’s essence, as politically directed violence fraught with friction, will remain its most enduring aspect, even if more intelligent machines are involved at every level.

The Belarus Factor In European Security, Alexander Lanoszka

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article challenges strategists to reconsider longheld assumptions associated with the alliance between Belarus and Russia when planning military support for the Baltic states.

The Geopolitics Of Rare Earth Elements: Emerging Challenge For U.S. National Security And Economics, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Rare earth elements (REE) contain unique chemical and physical properties such as lanthanum, are found in small concentrations, need extensive precise processes to separate, and are critical components of modern technologies such as laser guidance systems, personal electronics such as IPhones, satellites, and military weapons systems as varied as Virginia-class fast attack submarines, DDG- 51 Aegis destroyers, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and precision guided munitions. The U.S. has some rare earth resources, but is heavily dependent on access to them from countries as varied as Afghanistan, Bolivia, and China. Losing access to these resources would have significant adverse economic, …

Navigating The Third Offset Strategy, Damon V. Coletta

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article suggests adding a “craftsman” at lower ranks to steer private-sector projects through the Third Offset Strategy. This strategy was established by experienced leadership at the Pentagon to increase military acquisitions of automation and artificial intelligence technology.

Deterrence & Security Assistance: The South China Sea, Tommy Ross

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article identifies how the United States can apply security assistance to support regional security in the South China Sea in order to counter China’s assertive expansion strategy.

Lessons Unlearned: Army Transformation And Low-Intensity Conflict, Pat Proctor

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines the US Army’s experiences and lessons learned during military interventions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. It explores why these lessons did not affect the Army transformation, directed in the late-1990s by James M. Dubik, John W. Hendrix, John N. Abrams, and Eric K. Shinseki.

Staring Down Street Harassment: Women’S Perspectives Of Street Harassment In Tunisia, Aliya Jessa

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Women are the targets of street harassment perpetrated by men every day, particularly in communal spaces such as streets and public transportation. In Tunis, young women must alter their dress and behavior in order to comfortably and navigate public spaces; however, despite these measures, their access to space is still far more limited than men’s access to public space. I interviewed four women in their 20s from the greater Tunis area on their experiences of public street harassment. The women indicated that street harassment is merely one manifestation of a greater gender issue in the country. Although street harassment may …

Ddasaccident814, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident occurred in one of the remote Mine Field (MF) tasks (HZTJ-335-MM10) located in TAB region of Tajikistan, Shamsiddin Shohin district: 30 km from nearest hospital, 60 min of driving by narrow and bad condition restricted border zone road, and was caused due to hand excavation tool (demining trowel) penetration into the liquid explosive container of an AP blast mine type PFM-1. Penetration, fortunately, did not provoke any detonation, but resulted in rupturing the plastic mine casing and spraying of the liquid explosive charge contents into the eyes, mouth and facial area of the deminer operating the demining tool.

Ddasaccident826, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the 6th of September 2017at [International demining organisation] task CBU-575 FO, an uncontrolled detonation of an M77 sub-munitions occurred while [International demining organisation] BAC 2 searcher [the Victim] was working in his lane at 07:33 am, 5 minutes before taking his first break, and led to an injury.

The injuries sustained by [the Victim] resulted in severe wounds and fractures in his hands and legs, fragmentations in the chest and head and injuries to the eyes.

Based on all available evidences, the BOI team concludes that the accident occurred with the searcher while he was cutting vegetation in his …

The Seventh Meeting Of States Parties To The Convention On Cluster Munitions (2017), Ccm

Global CWD Repository

The Seventh Meeting of States Parties (7MSP) to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) took place from 4 to 6 September 2017 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The 7MSP, presided by Germany, was the second formal meeting of the Convention after the adoption of the Dubrovnik Action Plan, a five-year action (2015-2020) plan that provides a roadmap for States Parties to implement and universalize the Convention. 393 participants from States, international and non-governmental organizations took part in the three-day Meeting to take stock of the implementation of the CCM’s steering action plan.

Reflecting Back On The Ebola Outbreak And The Future Of Bioterrorism, Christian Pedersen

Pepperdine Policy Review

In the wake of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, policy makers have focused on the public health components which led to the outbreak, the efforts to control it, and mitigate the impact of the outbreak. Some of the most enlightening aspects of the outbreak, pertain to National Security. The crisis demonstrated some crucial challenges the United States would have to plan for to effectively respond to a bioterrorist attack.

Sloan On Geopolitics, Geography, And Strategy History In Geopolitics, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Geopolitical literature is experiencing a renaissance and scholars representing classical and critical perspectives in this field bring multifaceted assessments to historical and current international political and security issues. Sloan’s Geopolitics, Geography and Strategic History, which is part of Routledge’s Geopolitical Theory Series, examines connections between geography, strategy, and history and is the subject of this review and analysis. Three thesis questions examined by the author include why the geographical scope of political objectives and following strategies of nation states change, how do these changes occur, and over what time period do these changes occur. Sloan examines why the geopolitical theories …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2016 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In 2016, GICHD staff visited and supported 57 countries to improve mine action globally and locally. Over the 40 training sessions and workshops that were delivered, we had the opportunity to reach out to 870 course participants. To carry out this work, our staff grew. As of the end of 2016, the GICHD is made up of 65 staff members representing 19 nations.

Read about all the main areas of the Centre's work in 2016 as well as highlights of some of its major achievements. The Report also includes a summary of the Performance Report and the most recent list …

Leaving No One Behind: Mine Action And The Sustainable Development Goals, Gichd, United Nations Development Programme

Global CWD Repository

This joint GICHD-UNDP study explores the links between mine action and the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs and it reflects upon the current understanding of the contribution and impact that mine action is having on achieving the 2030 Agenda in countries affected by landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war.

The study also provides guidance to policy and decision makers from mine action organisations, donors and particularly National Mine Action Authorities on how to:

• increase awareness and understanding of the 2030 Agenda amongst the mine action community and its core partners
• identify the catalytic potential of mine action …

Considerations For Mexican Immigration Policy Reform: How Motivations To Migrate Align With U.S. And Mexican Macroeconomic Conditions, Alix Naugler

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The nationalistic rhetoric adopted by the newly-elected president’s administration along with the public’s climaxing anti-immigrant hysteria has recently forced Mexican immigration intervention to the top of the U.S. agenda. Misconceptions regarding Mexicans’ role in stealing jobs, threatening cultural and ethnic traditions, and straining public welfare, educational, and healthcare resources have spurred a fear among the American people. This politically-fabricated “schizophrenia” has ceased the political and economic collaboration between the two nations and has resulted in the unilateral militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border. In this evaluation of the U.S. government’s immigration policies, the proposed economic theories related to Mexicans’ motivations in …

Foreign Policy Evaluation And The Utility Of Intervention, Graham Slater

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation identifies and explains the factors contributing to the presence and severity of U.S. foreign-policy blunders, or gross errors in strategic judgment resulting in significant harm to the national interest, since the Second World War. It hypothesizes that the grand strategy of preponderance and the overestimation of military power to transform the politics of other states have precipitated U.S. foreign-policy blunders since 1945. Examining the Vietnam War and Iraq War as case studies, it focuses on underlying conditions in the American national identity and the problematic foreign policy decision-making (FPDM) that corresponds to this bifurcated hypothesis, termed the overestimation/preponderance …

The East China Sea In Dod China Military Power Reports, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2000 saw Congress require the Department of Defense (DOD) to prepare an annual report on Chinese military power. This report contains classified and unclassified editions. Documenting Chinese military developments, strategy, and trends are critical parts of these reports. Beijing’s military activities in the East China Sea (ECS) are important report components. This work explains the importance of these and other DOD reports for those studying ECS developments, examines how DOD has documented Beijing’s military activities within these publicly accessible reports, and describes how members of Congress have reacted to ECS developments during the Obama …

Gender And Diversity Annual Report 2016, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In its 2015-2018 Strategy, the GICHD has reaffirmed its commitment to gender & diversity, and 2016 has cer-tainly been a year of accomplishments. In January 2016, the GICHD joined the International Gender Champions Network. In July 2016, the GICHD adopted its first Centre-wide Gender & Diversity Action Plan. In September, the GICHD created two positions on gender & diversity Programme Officer (30%) and Junior Programme Officer (50%). In addition to those three milestones, the GICHD has also been promoting gender & diversity by sharing its knowledge, holding events for GICHD staff and the public alike, and encouraging discussions and debates …

Explosive Weapon Effects, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Motivated by its strategic goal to improve human security and equipped with subject expertise in explosive hazards, the GICHD launched a research project to characterise explosive weapons. The GICHD perceives the debate on explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) as an important humanitarian issue. The aim of this research into explosive weapons characteristics and their immediate, destructive effects on humans and structures, is to help inform the ongoing discussions on EWIPA, intended to reduce harm to civilians. The intention of the research is not to discuss the moral, political or legal implications of using explosive weapon systems in populated areas, …

An Initial Study Into Mine Action And Improvised Explosive Devices, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) present significant risks to mine action (MA) operators and the programmes within which they work. Such risks can be managed through well-informed risk identification and assessment, the avoidance of some activities, and the procurement/development of the necessary skills, equipment and procedures to address others.

This study focuses primarily on improvised devices of the types that are currently encountered by MA organisations during humanitarian operations. The use of IEDs for terrorist purposes or as part of active conflict is not addressed in this study. While it is recognised that MA organisations may be present in places where …

Ddasaccident817, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A deminer from the NGO [International demining organisation] was killed in Pailin province on Friday after detonating a mine while attempting to clear an area in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold.

One employee of the British demining organisation [name removed] died and another was injured after an antipersonnel mine exploded while they were working in Pailin province.

The anti-personnel blast mine in this accident was reported as having been a GYATA-64 and as having been a PMN-2. The source reporting it as a PMN-2 was the Cambodian Mine Action Centre so that identification is accepted, especially as the mine is …

To Walk The Earth In Safety 17th Edition (Cy2017), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

Supporting conventional weapons destruction (CWD) is a cornerstone of our national security policy. This 2016 edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety highlights the United States programs, managed primarily by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), that keep weapons and ammunition out of the wrong hands and assist nations in clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The dangers posed by mines and UXO can linger for decades. In areas reeling from recent fighting, stabilization and humanitarian assistance efforts are effectively blocked until key sites are cleared of explosive …

Unmas 2016 Annual Report, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

As conflicts rage across the world and the threats posed by explosive hazards perpetuate humanitarian crises and hinder emergency response, UNMAS leadership is needed more than ever. Repeatedly and consistently, mine action has proven critical to humanitarian action. This, and the crucial coordination role of UNMAS, was widely recognised at the World Humanitarian Summit, and in the outcome documents, by affected states, donor nations, United Nations entities and civil society. Mine action is also a vital stabilization enabler, facilitating the recovery of communities impacted by conflict. As Iraqis work to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Da’esh, mine action …