The logics of public authority: understanding power, politics and security in Afghanistan, 2002–2014

This paper applies the three logics of public authority – the political marketplace, moral populism and civicness – to the case of Afghanistan in 2001–2013. It shows how the logic of the political marketplace offers an apt interpretation of the Karzai regime, while the logic of moral populism is more relevant as a way of categorizing the Taliban. Based on a civil society dialogue project, the paper discusses the way that civil society actors characterize the situation and envisage a logic of civicness. The paper argues that the mutually reinforcing nature of the two dominant logics explains pervasive and rising insecurity that has been exacerbated by external interventions. The implication of the argument is that security requires a different logic of authority that could underpin legitimate and inclusive institutions

See-and-avoid quadcopter using fuzzy control optimized by cross-entropy

In this work we present an optimized fuzzy visual servoing system for obstacle avoidance using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The cross-entropy theory is used to optimise the gains of our controllers. The optimization process was made using the ROS-Gazebo 3D simulation with purposeful extensions developed for our experiments. Visual servoing is achieved through an image processing front-end that uses the Camshift algorithm to detect and track objects in the scene. Experimental flight trials using a small quadrotor were performed to validate the parameters estimated from simulation. The integration of cross- entropy methods is a straightforward way to estimate optimal gains achieving excellent results when tested in real flights

Political functions of impunity in the war on terror: evidence from Afghanistan

The prevalence and persistence of impunity for human rights violations in the war on terror have attracted significant interest from scholars and practitioners. Insufficient attention, however, has been paid to the ways in which impunity might be shaping key objectives and practices of the war on terror and enabling or constraining their pursuit in war zones. Drawing on insights from security cultures theory and analysis of empirical evidence from Afghanistan, this article demonstrates how impunity serves as a mechanism for reproduction and diffusion of the security culture of the war on terror and for cooption and subversion of central components of another security culture: the liberal peace. The argument is elaborated by investigating the functions of impunity in generating the kind of politics that justify an endless war and facilitate the pursuit of its shifting goals and methods. The article suggests that the role of impunity in shaping global security pathways might be more significant than previously understood and highlights the potential of security cultures theory to help explain human rights outcomes in counterterrorism and peace operations

92-Gene Molecular Profiling in Identification of Cancer Origin: A Retrospective Study in Chinese Population and Performance within Different Subgroups

BACKGROUND: After cancer diagnosis, therapy for the patient is largely dependent on the tumor origin, especially when a metastatic tumor is being treated. However, cases such as untypical metastasis, poorly differentiated tumors or even a limited number of tumor cells may lead to challenges in identifying the origin. Moreover, approximately 3% to 5% of total solid tumor patients will not have to have their tumor origin identified in their lifetime. The THEROS CancerTYPE ID® is designed for identifying the tumor origin with an objective, rapid and standardized procedure. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This is a blinded retrospective study to evaluate performance of the THEROS CancerTYPE ID® in a Chinese population. In total, 184 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of 23 tumor origins were collected from the tissue bank of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FDUSCC). A standard tumor cell enrichment process was used, and the prediction results were compared with reference diagnosis, which was confirmed by two experienced pathologists at FDUSCC. All of the 184 samples were successfully analyzed, and no tumor specimens were excluded because of sample quality issues. In total, 151 samples were correctly predicted. The agreement rate was 82.1%. A Pearson Chi-square test shows that there is no difference between this study and the previous evaluation test performed by bioTheranostics Inc. No statistically significant decrease was observed in either the metastasis group or tumors with high grades. CONCLUSIONS: A comparable result with previous work was obtained. Specifically, specimens with a high probability score (>0.85) have a high chance (agreement rate = 95%) of being correctly predicted. No performance difference was observed between primary and metastatic specimens, and no difference was observed among three tumor grades. The use of laser capture micro-dissection (LCM) makes the THEROS CancerTYPE ID® accessible to almost all of the cancer patients with different tumor statuses

Galkaio, Somalia: bridging the border

A better understanding of ‘local’ agreements vis-a-vis national reconciliation processes is a strong current in policy and academic circles, with Somalia acknowledged as a relevant context with a rich history of such processes. This article examines a local agreement reached in Galkaio, a divided city where renewed violence had national implications around the formation of a new Federal system. It explores the role of external mediators, and strategies used to create buy-in at different levels in the process in order to forge ann agreement that could end violence and address some underlying conflict drivers. It argues how experimentation with sequencing, linking and moving between levels helped ensure the viability and sustainability of the process. It contributes to the literature on mediating multi-level conflicts by focusing analysis on the role played by external mediators, demonstrating the importance of who mediates and how while providing insight into dynamic conflict mediation environments

Finding peace in Somalia: the Galkaio ‘local’ peace agreement

A better understanding of ‘local’ agreements vis-a-vis national state-building processes is a strong current in policy and academic circles, with Somalia acknowledged as a context with a rich history in such processes. The 2017 Galkaio agreement is a landmark achievement in this history, and one that is located within the recent formation of the Federal system in Somalia. It successfully combined Somali and international actors and resources. As such, it is an important example of an appropriate external intervention. The Galkaio agreement-making process took place over 2-3 years, required sensitivity to both the national and local contexts and included a strong Somali identity among the international actors. This briefing discusses the blurred boundaries between organisational and personal identities, where, for example, a key individual in this case was able to leverage her multiple identities (in terms of gender, clan, diaspora, UN employee) with skill and sensitivity, in order to support and participate in networks pursuing peaceful outcomes. The agreement represents the re-establishment of social relations across a significant border area, a process which is still ongoing, and which remains fragile and unfinished. This social rebuilding process is qualitatively different than the 1993 Mudug Accord that characterised the pre-existing boundary. The international engagement, as embodied by a number of the key mediators working for international agencies, represented an activist approach to peacebuilding that was arguably sufficiently powerful to counter underlying grievances and the transactional elite-driven politics that dominates Somalia’s political marketplace

Community Peace Building Approach in the Context of Afghanistan

As peace building, we understand that it seeks to prevent violence and help people to recover from violence, mostly structural violence. It also helps people to conduct their relationships to promote sustainable coexistence (Schirch, 2004). Puzzle can be raise how we can strength community level peace building process to build structural stability besides peace keeping. I will talk about the community peace building sustained by traditional Afghan society and their own strategies. This is to represent the idea that “people are the best resource for sustaining peace” (Tadjbakhsh, 2005). Some practices of peace building definitely should rise where peace building can address state building as well in regard to the responses from local and international role players in dealing with the challenges of operating in an uncertain and weak structured country where vision for a sustainable change is not clear.  I would like to show how nation state building process can be addressed with this local peace building activities which is merely called as community based development aimed for social coordination and civic involvement. Besides, problems with the top down approach of government and how other factors influence will also be discussed.