Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Contamination In Eastern Ukraine: Observations By Osce, Edward Crowther

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since fighting began in 2014, significant areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine have been contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). This article will briefly cover the origin of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) and its mandate, before turning to the types of contamination observed by the SMM in eastern Ukraine. On 21 March 2014, the 57 participating States of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) made a consensus decision to deploy the SMM, and the SMM’s mandate has been extended each year since. The SMM establishes facts and reports …

Minefield Clearance And Casualties - Holland 1945 - Military Operations Research Unit Report No.7, Roly Evans

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In June and July 1945, two Royal Canadian Engineer officers, on their own initiative, carried out a review of the ongoing minefield clearance in Holland. The local military authorities deemed the review to be of significant value and therefore directed the Military Operational Research Unit to take up the study and “carry out a complete survey and analysis of all aspects of minefield clearance and casualties.” The study, entitled Military Operational Research Unit Report No.7 – Minefield Clearance and Casualties, Holland 1945 was initially intended to gather lessons about minefield clearance casualties in relation to combat. It became a significant …

Accidents And Field Medical Provision, Andy Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No one knows for sure how frequently accidents occur in humanitarian demining. This is partly because the details of accidents involving state employees are rarely shared, and national laws often restrict access to police or military reports. It is also because there is a frequent failure to comply with the reporting requirement described in the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). IMAS 10.60 requires that “an accident in which a mine, ERW or explosives harms a demining employee, visitor, or member of the local population” shall be investigated and the report made available. However, although it is a requirement to share …

Itf Enhancing Human Security In Serbia, Gregor Sancanin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

ITF Enhancing Human Security has worked in Southeast Europe’s post-conflict countries since 1998. In states affected by the break-up of Yugoslavia such as Serbia, ITF works to support the country’s fulfillment of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), and this involvement has proved critical to Serbia fulfilling its goals.

Booby-Traps And Anti-Handling Devices: Common Tactics, Michael Cardash

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Booby-traps are designed to entice victims to perform a physical action with an apparently harmless object that hides an explosive device that leads to the device’s unexpected initiation. Many booby-traps are improvised explosives devices (IED) and feature some kind of bait targeted to exploit emotions and the anticipated actions of security forces or civilians, who will initiate the explosive device in close proximity. Baiting is designed to attract attention and cause the victim to approach the IED. It is intended to pique curiosity or instinctual feelings, such as the desire to help (bait in the form of a body or …

Collaborative Demining Training In Cambodia, Jorge Rivero, Tom Gersbeck

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 2016, the Center for Fire and Explosives, Forensic Investigations, Training and Research at Oklahoma State University (OSU) has teamed up with Golden West Humanitarian Foundation to offer an extraordinary training opportunity to military and civilian bomb experts, as well as OSU medical personnel and students. During the second half of January 2018, a group of civilian law enforcement bomb technicians, military explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians, medical personnel, a lawyer, and educators visited Cambodia to participate in the OSU Explosives Ordnance seminar conducted by Golden West.

Drones In The Desert: Augmenting Hma And Socio-Economic Activities In Chad, John Fardoulis, Xavier Depreytere, Emmanuel Sauvage, Pierre Gallien

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Funded by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development and led by Humanity & Inclusion (HI) under the auspices of the National Mine Action Centre, Haut Commissariat National au Déminage (HCND) in Chad, the Odyssey2025 Project explores ways to accelerate land release for the local population with the combined use of small consumer drones, new survey methods, and mobile data collection. Project partners include Mobility Robotics, Dynergie, InZentive, and Third Element Aviation. A practical, field-driven approach is being undertaken together with partners in the PRODECO project, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD).

Mineland, The Endless War: A Photo Essay, Rocco Rorandelli

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Many modern conflicts leave behind unexploded ordnance (UXO) in their aftermath, inflicting severe human, social, and economic costs. Europe is not immune from this issue. Today, landmine-affected countries in Europe include Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia. With an average removal cost of 1,000 euros per mine, reduced funding is the main reason why demining is still unfinished in this region after more than 20 years of work. Every year, deminers and civilians die or are injured because of ordnance explosions.

A common sentiment of all organizations involved in demining operations is that greater funds are required to increase …

Ukraine's Newly Adopted Mine Action Law: What Does This Mean For Hma Programs?, Henrique Garbino

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Recent contamination in the region is the result of the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.³ Although the full extent of contamination is unknown, conservative estimates suggest that about 20 sq km (7.72 sq mi) are contaminated.

Currently, at least three government institutions are directly involved with humanitarian demining, with the support of three international NGOs. Many more organizations are involved in mine risk education (MRE), victim assistance, stockpile destruction, advocacy and training, advisory, and coordination of the mine action program. However, until January 2019, there was no strong legal framework …

The Effect Of Foreign Aid On Political Violence: Learning From Case Studies Of Nigeria And Sierra Leone, Charlotte Rohrer

Politics Honors Papers

Policymakers in OECD countries regularly cite reducing political violence as a fundamental purpose of foreign aid. For example, countries such as Pakistan and Iraq have received considerable amounts of aid meant to address the root causes of political violence. This project analyzes quantitative and qualitative evidence to assess whether foreign aid can reduce political violence. The quantitative and qualitative analyses study Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone to focus on regional and country-wide political violence. The study further focuses on aid projects in Sierra Leone and Nigeria as a means to reduce or curb …

The Controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: America's Most Expensive Weapons System And Its Global Impact, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

Presentation describing my 2019 Palgrave Macmillan book Global Defense Procurement and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It describes this aircraft and places particular emphasis on the government information resources from multiple countries used in writing this book.

Examining The Receptivity Of Foreign Guests: A Study Of Economic Community Of West African States (Ecowas) Students In Higher Educational Institutions In Accra, Ghana, Kezia Darkwah

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

With an increasingly global demand for higher education, countries are competing for international students. Popular destinations like the United States are facing a decreasing number of international student enrollments due to restrictive policies that are perceived as unwelcoming to foreign guests. Regional hubs are emerging as alternative destinations for international students. Ghana, today considered one of West Africa’s most stable democracies and an important destination country in the region, receives many foreign guests including economic migrants, students, tourists, and refugees. Ghana is also emerging as a regional hub for educational migrants. How are these foreign guests received, integrated, and ultimately …

Changing The Guards: Expanding Cultural Diversity Training In Correctional Officer Basic Training, Herman Ayers

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

This research examined the effectiveness of cultural diversity training in state basic correctional officer training programs. In recent years, the demographics of the U.S. prison population has become much more culturally diverse. This shift is noted by recent academic literature from scholars who have experience working in correctional settings. The growing diversity of the inmate population puts a new emphasis on the importance of cultural diversity in correctional officer basic training programs. This exploratory study uses original data collected from a survey of correctional officers and a sample of state correctional officer basic training programs in a cross-sectional design to …

To Walk The Earth In Safety 18th Edition (Cy 2018), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

This 18th Edition of To Walk the Earth In Safety summarizes the United States’ Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) programs in 2018. CWD assistance provides the United States with a powerful and flexible tool to help partner countries manage their stockpiles of munitions, destroy excess small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) and clear explosive hazards such as landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Our assistance also helps countries destroy illicitly-held or poorly-secured man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and mitigate their threat to civilian aviation and public safety.

In today’s dynamic world, threats to U.S. national security abound. The …

Home And Healing In The In-Between: Migrant And Refugee Mental Health In Tunisia, Donia Torabian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is a study of migrant conceptions of home and healing in Tunisia. It seeks to understand the ways in which migration, trauma, and healing interact as lived experiences for people who migrate for various reasons to Tunisia. Using past research from Terre d’Asile and Médecins du Monde, the research seeks to understand the main risk and protective factors of migrant mental health. The research is a qualitative study of the ways in which migrants identify with having experienced trauma and the healing practices they may have brought to or learned in Tunisia. It also hopes to build connections …

Nationalizing Services For The Trans-National: How Sub-Saharan Migrants Navigate Healthcare Access In Tunisia, Batoul Hasan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The right to human health and the resources that empower this state is an entitlement recognized under international law. With the circumstances surrounding their journeys, migrants face increased risks and vulnerabilities that necessitate social protections. Nations of reception, due to exclusionary policies or lack of capacity, may fail to guarantee these protections. This study investigates how this phenomenon unfolds in Tunisia, a middle-income nation undergoing a host of political and economic changes, but one that’s nonetheless become an alluring destination for migrants, specifically those from sub-Saharan African nations. The analysis proceeds from an assessment of the public health situation in …

The Messy Nuclear Landscape: Using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping To Explore Plausible Nuclear Disarmament Scenarios, Ryan M. Nixon

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Nuclear weapons are seemingly permanent fixtures in international relations. Although nuclear abolitionists and actors within the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have taken significant steps towards designing a world without nuclear weapons, the longstanding realist logic that suggests nuclear disarmament is nonviable has born more fruit. On the other hand, some proponents of realism have suggested global nuclear disarmament is feasible, given that certain international instabilities are stabilized and that special care is taken during diplomatic negotiations. This presents an opportunity to test these predictions using fuzzy cognitive mapping, a computational modeling technique that identifies …

The Search For Peace Education In Spain's National Curriculum: Questioning The Presence Of Race, Immigration, And Othering, Anne Grujanac 19

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

What Can Anthropologists Do?: Applied Anthropology In A Conflict-Ridden World, Emma G. Dorshimer

Student Publications

This work examines the role of anthropology in conflict, post-conflict studies, and conflict resolution. Present research has asserted that Anthropology as a discipline must move forward with greater involvement in domestic and international conflict resolution, but no scholar nor activist has taken that leap. All anthropological research in conflict has pertained to forensic anthropology, expert witness testimony, and post-conflict ethnographic research— all completed after conflict has already ended. Many anthropologists have recommended involvement in actual conflict resolution, and many have advocated for further Ethnographic Peace Research. However, the role of anthropology continues to be questioned by the discipline itself as …

Evangelicalism And Peace And Conflict Studies: A Wheaton College Case Study, Sophia Bouwsma

Capstone Collection

Evangelicalism and peace and conflict studies are both salient topics in addressing current religious and political dynamics in the United States. Amid the realities and myths surrounding these topics, there are many complementarities and tensions between evangelicalism and peace and conflict studies, both real and perceived. One of evangelicalism’s most prominent academic institutions, Wheaton College, recently established a Peace and Conflict Studies Program, placing this program at the center of an unexpected relationship between peace and conflict studies and evangelicalism. This study examines the views of students in Wheaton’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program to explore how they see the …