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.

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.

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.

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 …

San Francisco's Response To Sexual Assault: Pathways To Creating A Survivor-Centered Criminal Justice System, Bianca Rosen

Master's Projects and Capstones

This research examines the process when adult sexual assault survivors in San Francisco decide to pursue legal justice and how survivors experience the local criminal justice system. My analysis exposes the mistreatment of survivors who participate with local law enforcement and recommends survivor-centered policies that could support the wellbeing of survivors pressing charges. The purpose of this research is to encourage law enforcement practices that prioritize survivors’ self-determination and welfare.

Editor's Note, Padraig O’Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

Such is the unpredictability of Trump’s streaming executive orders that much of what I write may be irrelevant by the time this issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy goes to press. But the articles in this issue will not lose their pertinence, no matter what the administration does. Indeed, given its predilection for “alternative facts,” they assume a greater relevance and consequential significance.

This issue of the journal has three parts. The first part had its origins in a conference on extremism held at the Center for Study of Intractable Conflicts (CRIC), Harris Manchester College Oxford in …

The Growth Of Isis Extremism In Southeast Asia: Its Ideological And Cognitive Features—And Possible Policy Responses, Kumar Ramakrishna

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines the radicalization of young Southeast Asians into the violent extremism that characterizes the notorious Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). After situating ISIS within its wider and older Al Qaeda Islamist ideological milieu, the article sketches out the historical landscape of violent Islamist extremism in Southeast Asia. There it focuses on the Al Qaeda-affiliated, Indonesian-based but transnational Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, revealing how the emergence of ISIS has impacted JI’s evolutionary trajectory. The article surveys major explanations of how radicalization into violent extremism (RIVE) occurs, setting the stage for the ensuing discussion of two features of …

Syrian Civil Society During The Peace Talks In Geneva: Role And Challenges, Zedoun Alzoubi

New England Journal of Public Policy

Syrian civil society witnessed a new birth in 2011 following decades of hibernation due to oppression. The fast growth and maturity of civil society organizations gave them the opportunity to occupy a formal space in the ongoing peace talks in Geneva. The presence of the Women’s Advisory Board, the Civil Society Support Room, and the recently established Experts Room during the peace talks in the Palais de Nations allows them to influence the negotiation process. This article is the first published documentation of the role of civil society in the peace process and the challenges that face these talks.

Why We Have The Center For The Resolution Of Intractable Conflict In Oxford, John, Lord Alderdice

New England Journal of Public Policy

The Center for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC) was formally established at Harris Manchester College by a decision of the Governing Body of the College in 2013 to facilitate research, teaching and training, seminars and conferences, and direct engagement in situations of political violence and long-standing community conflict in various parts of the world.

The CRIC is a very young institution, but already it is having an impact out of proportion to its size and modest resources. This is because the issues we are addressing have a heightened public profile and also because of the quality and leading-edge of …

Understanding The Appeal Of Isis, Lydia Wilson

New England Journal of Public Policy

The Islamic State, or ISIS, has proven to be persistently successful in attracting people from all over the globe to join in its state-building and state-defending enterprise. This article explores the messages it has crafted, from the utopian to the militarily defensive, and the techniques it uses to propagate these messages (including on social media), which includes some historical comparisons to communism and Nazism. It goes on to provide initial research findings from the field to show how their message is working among (a small percentage of) the target audience, sketching the theory of identity fusion to argue that it …

The Apocalyptic Imagination And The Fundamentalist Mindset, Charles B. Strozier

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article explores the psychological meanings of the apocalyptic imagination in what I call a fundamentalist mindset. That mindset has its own long history but is newly relevant in the nuclear age. We no longer need God to bring about ultimate destruction. There are many facets of the fundamentalist mindset (for example, its intense literalism), but the focus in the article is on two: its kairotic sense of time and its rampant paranoia. These two facets interact synergistically around violence that is experienced by those who revel in it as moral in a totalistic sense. Killing becomes healing. The evil …

Suicide Terrorism: Performance Violence As Public Plunge, Gregory Saathoff

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article explores the relationship between the social psychology of the individual and the final abyss of suicide terrorism. The boy on the high dive is a metaphor for the fearful pause before the leap. For a young child, the dive is exciting and dangerous: the fearful pause is somewhat analogous to thoughts and feelings before the terrorist’s catastrophically destructive contemplated homicidal/suicidal behavior. If we think about the leap itself, there may be a better analogy. Is there any corollary to a specific group of suicide completers? What can be learned from others who have contemplated and undertaken perhaps the …

What Is The Colombian Peace Process Teaching The World?, Andrés Ucrós Maldonado

New England Journal of Public Policy

For more than five decades Colombia has suffered a relentless and devastating war that has taken a greater toll than that of many major wars around the world. For the past four years the Colombian government and the left-wing guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP) have been engaged in peace talks with the aim of putting an end to the armed struggle. During the negotiation, the two parties have developed innovative strategies and techniques that are informing debates on security, human rights, peace making, peace building, and international law at the regional and global levels. The aim of …

The Search For Meaning: Survivors’ Children And Their Choice Of A Life In The Law, Rose Zoltek-Jick

New England Journal of Public Policy

Rose Zoltek-Jick is an associate teaching professor and the associate director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law, Boston. She delivered the following talk in Boston on January 23, 2017, during Northeastern’s annual Holocaust Awareness Week.

Inclusiveness, Foresight, And Decisiveness: The Practical Wisdom Of Barrier-Crossing Leaders, Michael A. Cowan

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article previews a study under way to compare and contrast the attitudes, thinking, and action of leaders around the world who manage to bridge social divisions in their respective locales with those who work within their own groups. After briefly describing the planned assessment of their forms of social cohesion and empathy, the article examines the practical wisdom of effective actors in the social world and how it contrasts with academic knowledge for insight into how wise practitioners think about what they are doing. It also looks at the history of the conception of practical wisdom. Finally, examples of …

Geographies Of Absence: Radicalization And The Shaping Of The New Syrian Territoriality, Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj

New England Journal of Public Policy

In November 2015, the United States and the Russian Federation convened the main international stakeholders engaged in the Syrian conflict to broker the Vienna Accords. The unfolding political process culminated in the issuing of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Since then the situation has evolved rapidly, ushering in a new outlook for the resolution of the six-year-old civil war. The conflicting parties in Syria have not yet fathomed the momentum of this deal. Some progress has been made as part of successive attempts to establish a “cessation of hostilities,” but there have not yet been any major breakthroughs because the …