1,281 research outputs found

    The Mogadishu Effect: America\u27s Failure-Driven Foreign Policy

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    The October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, commonly referred to as “Black Hawk Down,” transformed American foreign policy in its wake. One of the largest special operations missions in recent history, the failures in Somalia left not only the United States government and military in shock, but also the American people. After the nation’s most elite fighting forces suffered a nearly 50 percent casualty rate at the hands of Somali warlords during what many Americans thought was a humanitarian operation, Congress and the American people erupted in anger. Although the United States has continued to be seen as an overbearing global peacekeeping force in the thirty years since Somalia, the Battle of Mogadishu served as the turning point for a generational foreign policy shift that significantly limited future global intervention because of the overt publicization of battle’s aftermath in the media, domestic and international reactions, and a fear of repeating the same mistakes elsewhere. The first major American loss of life after the Cold War, the battle and the reaction that followed, known as the “Mogadishu effect,” forced President Clinton to rethink the United States’ role internationally. Clinton and his administration struggled to convince the American people that involvement overseas, especially global peacekeeping, was vital to international order after becoming the world’s sole superpower. Congressional hearings, presidential correspondence, government documents, poll results, and numerous media releases across Clinton’s presidency mark the distinct shift in American foreign policy that took place after Mogadishu. Although he inherited involvement in the United Nations mission in Somalia from George H.W. Bush, the failures in Somalia transformed Clinton’s humanitarian involvement in Haiti, Bosnia, and Rwanda, tarnishing the remainder of his presidency and shifting expectations of significant American involvement in international peacekeeping after the Cold War

    Transition 2.0: Re-establishing Constitutional Democracy in EU Member States

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    The central question of Transition 2.0 is this: what (and how) may a new government do to re-establish constitutional democracy, as well as repair membership within the European Union, without breaching the European rule of law? This volume demonstrates that EU law and international commitments impose constraints but also offer tools and assistance for facilitating the way back after rule of law and democratic backsliding. The various contributions explore the constitutional, legal, and social framework of 'Transition 2.0'.Dieser Band zeigt, dass das EU-Recht und die internationalen Verpflichtungen zwar ZwĂ€nge auferlegen, aber auch Instrumente und Hilfestellungen bieten, um den Weg zurĂŒck in die EuropĂ€ische Union nach Rechtsstaatlichkeitsdefiziten und demokratischen RĂŒckschritten zu erleichtern. Die verschiedenen BeitrĂ€ge untersuchen den verfassungsrechtlichen, rechtlichen und sozialen Rahmen des "Übergangs 2.0"

    The Chapel Island Formation of Newfoundland (Canada) revisited: integrating ichnologic and sedimentologic datasets to unravel early metazoan evolution

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    The Chapel Island Formation (CIF) is a 1000+ m-thick, mainly siliciclastic succession that is well exposed along the coastline of Burin Peninsula, southeastern Newfoundland, eastern Canada. The CIF contains an outstanding record of latest Ediacaran-early Cambrian trace fossils with some intervals rich in small shelly fossils, and in 1992 the Fortune Head section was ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) as the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Cambrian System. This was the first system-level GSSP defined primarily on the basis of trace fossils, a decision that evoked considerable discussion among the geological community. This thesis represents the first modern study of the sedimentology and the first taxonomic appraisal of the trace fossils since the original studies that proposed the GSSP in the 1980’s. More than 1700 m of CIF strata were logged in the sea cliffs of Burin Peninsula at Fortune Head, Fortune North, Grand Bank Head, Lewin’s Cove, Little Dantzic Cove, and Point May. A revision of the sedimentology permitted the description and interpretation of fourteen sedimentary facies composing five facies association (FA), which are interpreted to be deposited in: (1) mud-flat, mixed-flat, sand-flat, and tide-dominated or -influenced embayments (FA-A); (2) middle and lower shoreface (FA-B); (3) offshore transition, upper offshore, and lower offshore (FA-C); (4) shelf (stricto sensu) (FA-D); and (5) carbonate subtidal and intertidal environments (FA-E). An extensive trace-fossil dataset was built from careful field observations and provided a comprehensive record of bioturbation intensity (1596 data points on vertical bioturbation, 1481 data points on bedding plane bioturbation) and of trace-fossil metrics (3162 data points on burrow width, 1473 data points on burrow depth). In addition, a comprehensive revision of the trace-fossil composition (3508 trace fossils identified) allowed the description of twenty-eight ichnogenera and fifty-one ichnospecies, which correspond to cf. Allocotichnus dyeri, Archaeonassa fossulata, Arenicolites aff. carbonaria, Arenicolites isp., Bergaueria perata, B. cf. radiata, Circulichnis ligusticus, C. montanus, Cochlichnus anguineus, C. luguanensis, Conichnus conicus, Cruziana problematica, Curvolithus multiplex, C. simplex, Curvolithus isp., Dendroidichnites aff. irregulare, Didymaulichnus miettensis, Dimorphichnus isp. A, Dimorphichnus isp. B, cf. Dimorphichnus isp., ?Diplocraterion isp., Gordia marina, Gyrolithes gyratus, G. scintillus, Halopoa imbricata, Helminthoidichnites tenuis, Helminthopsis abeli, H. hieroglyphica, H. tenuis, Monomorphichnus bilinearis, M. lineatus, M. needleiunm, Monomorphichnus isp., Palaeophycus annulatus, P. tubularis, Palaeophycus isp., Psammichnites gigas circularis, P. cf. saltensis, Rosselia socialis, Rusophycus avalonensis, Rusophycus isp. A, Rusophycus isp. B, Saerichnites kutscheri comb. nov., Teichichnus rectus, Torrowangea rosei, Treptichnus bifurcus, T. coronatum, T. pedum, T. pollardi, Trichichnus linearis, and Trichichnus isp. Sectioning and polishing of 47 lithic samples from throughout the CIF showed that the sediment mixed layer that characterizes modern oceans developed through a series of steps that took place in the early Cambrian rather than in the Silurian as previously advocated. The main evolutionary innovations took place in the offshore environment with three paleoecologic stages that comprised: (1) an Ediacaran matground ecology, with surficial and very shallow infaunal grazing organisms living on and within microbially bound seafloors; (2) a Fortunian matground/firmground ecology, with a burst in behavioural and anatomical innovations and the first evidence of colonization of the shallow-tier; and (3) a late Fortunian/Cambrian Age 2 mixground ecology, with the development of a shallow mixed layer and deeper discrete burrows of the transition layer. Evaluation of outcrop quality based on accessibility, lateral and vertical continuity of beds, stratigraphic completeness, and type of exposure, demonstrated that Fortune Head, Fortune North, Grand Bank Head, and Little Dantzic Cove represented the best suited section to perform trace-fossil analyses, whereas Lewin’s Cove and Point May suffered from exposure biases affecting their trace-fossil records. The Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary interval was also studied in detail at Fortune Head, Grand Bank Head, Lewin’s Cove, and Point May, and the base of the Cambrian was placed confidently at the first appearance of trace fossils of the Treptichnus pedum Ichno-Assemblage Zone. This study demonstrates that only through detailed, comprehensive, and integrative approaches, can research provide new empirical evidence that further unfold our understanding of the history of animal life on Earth

    Ending famine in India: a transnational history of food aid and development, c. 1890-1950

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    The task of ending famine in India was taken up by many at the beginning of the twentieth century. Only decades earlier, famine in India had been believed to be a necessary evil. Now it was the reason for the increasing activities of doctors, nutritionists, social reformers, agricultural experts, missionaries, anti-colonial activists and colonial administrators, all involved in temporary relief and finding permanent solutions to famine

    Spatio-temporal analysis of coastal sediment erosion in Cape Town through remote sensing and geoinformation science

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    Coastal erosion can be described as the landward or seaward propagation of coastlines. Coastal processes occur over various space and time scales, limiting in-situ approaches of monitoring change. As such it is imperative to take advantage of multisensory, multi-scale and multi-temporal modern spatial technologies for multi-dimensional coastline change monitoring. The research presented here intends to showcase the synergy amongst remote sensing techniques by showcasing the use of coastal indicators towards shoreline assessment over the Kommetjie and Milnerton areas along the Cape Town coastline. There has been little progress in coastal studies in the Western Cape that encompass the diverse and dynamic aspects of coastal environments and in particular, sediment movement. Cape Town, in particular; is socioeconomically diverse and spatially segregated, with heavy dependence on its 240km of coastline. It faces sea level rise intensified by real-estate development close to the high-water mark and on reclaimed land. Spectral indices and classification techniques are explored to accommodate the complex bio-optical properties of coastal zones. This allows for the segmentation of land and ocean components to extract shorelines from multispectral Landsat imagery for a long term (1991-2021) shoreline assessment. The DSAS tool used these extracted shorelines to quantify shoreline change and was able to determine an overall averaged erosional rate of 2.56m/yr. for Kommetjie and 2.35m/yr. for Milnerton. Beach elevation modelling was also included to evaluate short term (2016-2021) sediment volumetric changes by applying Differential Interferometry to Sentinel-1 SLC data and the Waterline method through a combination of Sentinel -1 GRD and tide gauge data. The accuracy, validation and correction of these elevation models was conducted at the pixel level by comparison to an in-field RTK GPS survey used to capture the current state of the beaches. The results depict a sediment deficit in Kommetjie whilst accretion is prevalent along the Milnerton coastline. Shoreline propagation and coastal erosion quantification leads to a better understanding of geomorphology, hydrodynamic and land use influences on coastlines. This further informs climate adaptation strategies, urban planning and can support further development of interactive coastal information systems

    IMAGES OF THE SUBALTERN: REPRESENTATIONS OF CONTEMPORARY PORTUGUESE IDENTITY IN THE NOVELS OF VALTER HUGO MÃE

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    This thesis is unique in two ways; it is redeploying Gramsci’s notion of the subaltern to Europe, and it is the first in the English language to examine the work of contemporary Portuguese author valter hugo mãe. It examines how valter hugo mãe is altering the literary discourse of Portuguese national identity by constructing characters that subvert generally accepted notions of portugalidade by representing aspects of subalternity, thereby contributing to the development of post-nationalist thought within Portugal. This entails a re-application of Gramscian subaltern theory to the European arena after its appropriation by postcolonial theorists, and a detailed analysis of post-national, postcolonial and identity theories within a Gramscian framework, and how these have come to inform the author’s work and what this means in terms of the cultural construction of Portuguese identity. Bakhtin’s chronotope theory deepens the analysis of subalternity as it allows for a deeper understanding of how spatio-temporal literary constructions condition narratives, thereby perpetuating both hegemonic and subaltern status. The social status of the characters within valter hugo mãe’s novels is examined through an analysis of how their personal identities represent questions surrounding collective national identity in contemporary Portugal. The existing hegemonic structure is also challenged through an analysis of the representation of Portuguese religiosity and the supernatural in the tetralogy. The imposition of a certain identity upon the characters by Portuguese society, and how their acceptance or rejection of these identities affects both themselves and society as a whole allows the author to explore how meanings of identity have changed as a result of increasing globalization and the impact this has made upon collective Portuguese identity. The four novels were published between 2004 and 2010, meaning that they truly reflect anxieties that have arisen in recent times surrounding Portuguese perceptions of itself and its global status, making a study of these hugely valuable for understanding contemporary Portuguese identity

    The World Wide Web of Work

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    Global Labour History has rapidly gained ground as a field of study in the 21st century, attracting interest in the Global South and North alike. Scholars derive inspiration from the broad perspective and the effort to perceive connections between global trends over time in work and labour relations, incorporating slaves, indentured labourers and sharecroppers, housewives and domestic servants. Casting this sweeping analytical gaze, The World Wide Web of Work discusses the core concepts ‘capitalism’ and ‘workers’, and refines notions such as ‘coerced labour’, ‘household strategies’ and ‘labour markets’. It explores in new ways the connections between labourers in different parts of the world, arguing that both ‘globalisation’ and modern labour management originated in agriculture in the Global South and were only later introduced in Northern industrial settings. It reveals that 19th-century chattel slavery was frequently replaced by other forms of coerced labour, and it reconstructs the laborious 20th-century attempts of the International Labour Organisation to regulate labour standards supra-nationally. The book also pays attention to the relational inequality through which workers in wealthy countries benefit from the exploitation of those in poor countries. The final part addresses workers’ resistance and acquiescence: why collective actions often have unanticipated consequences; why and how workers sometimes organise massive flights from exploitation and oppression; and why ‘proletarian revolutions’ took place in pre-industrial or industrialising countries and never in fully developed capitalist societies

    Understanding the role of value in coral reef science

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    This thesis explores the role of value in coral science from the perspective of philosophy of science in practice. More specifically, it looks at the epistemology of different practices and theories in coral science, particularly how they interact with various forms of value, and how these forms of value can be understood. The arguments are organised into five chapters, which all make use of data collected in interviews with coral scientists, as well as ideas from coral science literature. The first presents an examination of ecological baselines, which I show do not simply ‘shift’ as has been supposed, but vary for a variety of reasons. This raises a question I address in the second chapter: when is this variation considered legitimate? The answer depends on the value of different reef states being considered. After showing how coral scientists navigate this in practice, I move on to the next two chapters where I explore areas of coral science where important forms of valuation take place: first, the value frameworks of intrinsic value and ecosystem services; and second, the use of bioacoustic techniques to assess reef health from non-human perspectives. These offer examples of how different forms of value shape coral science and make it relevant to the lifeforms practising and influenced by it. In the final chapter I present a view of coral science as a form of multispecies niche construction, both in the lab and the field. On this view, coral science is aimed at the flourishing of a range of living systems. This offers a better understanding of science-value interactions in socio-ecological contexts, such as when faced with decisions about baselines and interventions designed around these. Understanding how to navigate such situations is likely to become increasingly important as the challenges of surviving as a species continue to mount.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC
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