The evolution of the European Union's 'fight against terrorism' discourse: constructing the terrorist 'other'

The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which the EU’s counter-terrorism discourse, the 'fight against terrorism', is constructed, and the ways in which it functions both rhetorically and in practice. It argues that that 'EU identity' is constituted through and is central to the constitution of EU counter-terrorism policy. The approach taken is constructivist in nature drawing on a discourse analysis of primarily European Council policy documents, as well as the reports and speeches of the EU Counter-Terrorism Co-ordinator. In particular, it identifies three strands of the discourse that it is argued play a key role in the construction of a terrorist 'other'. These three strands include: terrorism as crime and as an emotive act of violence; terrorism as an act perpetrated solely by non-state actors; and terrorism as a 'new' and 'evolving' threat. The article proceeds in three steps. First, it outlines the theoretical considerations that underpin this research, including its empirical application. Second, it demonstrates how each strand of the discourse is constructed. Third, it discusses the functioning of the discourse, including the contested nature of the 'terrorism knowledge' that underpins the EU's counter-terrorism approach. The article concludes by reflecting on what this case study contributes to our understanding of EU counter-terrorism policy, as well as explaining how the notion of the terrorist 'other' could provide the basis for a future research agenda that deepens our understanding of how the identity of the EU is constituted

The discursive construction of EU counter-terrorism policy: writing the ‘migrant other’, securitisation and control

This article argues that the EU counter-terrorism policy reflects a deep-rooted mistrust or fear of the ‘migrant other’. The first half of the article focuses on the discursive construction of terrorism and the concept of securitisation. Drawing on Foucault and in line with scholars such as Campbell (1992), Milliken (1999) and Hülsse and Spencer (2008) the concept of discourse advocated here is one that is above individual discourse participant; the EU is a place where power/knowledge meets and is refracted back into social and political life. An alternative conception of securitisation is offered in order to demonstrate the processes involved in the discursive construction of the ‘migrant other’ as a security threat. The second half of the article will identify two meta-narratives linked to the construction of the ‘migrant other’ within the EU counter-terrorism policy. The first of these narratives constructs the ‘terrorist other’ as a threat to the globalised, ‘open’ society of the EU. This has the implicit effect of constructing and conflating the ‘migrant other’ with the threat of terrorism. The second meta-narrative that will provide the focus of analysis is a contingency-based discourse that constructs the ‘migrant other’ as in need of control in order to prevent the possibility of future terrorist attacks

A Note on Cell Wall and Wood Substance Densities

The differences in reported values of material densities for wood are discussed and analyzed with respect to cell-wall voids. A model is proposed to account for the reported differences and for general use in calculating relationships between wood volume and density

Acousto-Ultrasonic Monitoring of Glueline Curing

Hard maple electrodes were bonded with three types of epoxies in a lap joint and acousto-ultrasonic transmission monitored during curing. The electrodes, 3.2 x 25 x 115 mm, were lapped for a 25- x 25-mm bond area. Standard acoustic emission sensors, 175 kHz transmitter and 75 kHz receiver, were used to provide an RMS voltage output, which increased as the adhesive cured. The transmission increase was quantified using a halftime to cure. The increase in transmission is comparable to the predicted increase in longitudinal modulus. Increasing glueline thickness from 0.05 to 0.5 mm caused an increase in apparent cure time as measured by the halftime. By controlling glueline temperature, an activation energy was determined from the halftime to cure

Modalités spatio-temporelles de la dispersion d'alevins de saumon atlantique (Salmo salar L.) à l'émergence

Nous avons étudié la dispersion (vitesse, durée, distance) d'alevins de saumon atlantique à l'émergence dans un ruisseau expérimental.Le rythme journalier de dévalaison suit étroitement le rythme d'émergence des alevins, ce qui montre une bonne corrélation entre les deux activités, tout au moins en début de période. Les histogrammes de capture des alevins échantillonnés tous les 10 m présentent des caractéristiques de forme similaires (durée, asymétrie et aplatissement). Jusqu'au pic des captures, près de 50 % des alevins dévalent en 5 jours. Ils se dispersent à partir de la frayère sur 50 m en 3 ou 4 nuits et forment une cohorte homogène d'après leur rythme de dévalaison et leur taille. Après le mode, les captures sont plus étalées dans le temps (environ 10 jours) et montrent plus de variabilité en fonction de la distance. Les alevins résidents ne sont pas distribués uniformément dans les cinq biefs : les densités, de même que les poids moyens, tendent à augmenter vers l'aval. Plus de 50 % de la population d'alevins survivants s'est établi dans les 50 m en aval de la frayère. Les résultats révèlent deux vagues de dévalants. La première vague de dispersion, aussitôt après l'émergence, est rapide et importante. Elle ne dépendrait pas directement de la compétition territoriale et de la densité, mais permettrait d'éviter des densités localement trop élevées et d'utiliser plus efficacement les zones productives situées en aval de la frayère. La deuxième vague d'alevins dévalants correspondrait aux émergents tardifs et aux poissons soumis aux effets de la compétition territoriale.We have analysed the dispersal patterns (rate, duration, extent) of Atlantic salmon fry at emergence. The rate and duration of movement, and the distance travelled were measured in an experimental stream, located near S-Pée-sur-Nivelle, in SW France. A batch of 8 850 eyed eggs, from the grilse wild stock of the Nivelle River, was buried in the gravel substrate at the upstream end of a series of 5 sections, each 10 m long by 3 m wide. Shortly before emergence, drift nets equipped with fry traps were installed at the downstream end of each section. The nets sampled about 1/10 of the flow, except for those nets at the downstream end of the last section which collected all downstream moving fry. The traps were visited every morning and the fry enumerated. At the time of peak movements, samples were collected for length-weight measurements. At the end of the dispersal period, fry which had settled in the different sections (residents) were captured with electro-fishing gear and measured.The pattern of downstream movement of fry in a set of drift nets was closely related to the pattern of emergence from an artificial redd upstream of the nets. Hence, emergence and downstream dispersion were well synchronized, at least during the first part of the dispersal from the redd. The time-frequency histograms of fry sampled every 10 m showed the same pattern and general shape (duration, skewness and kurtosis). Until the peak of captures, nearly 50 % of all downstream moving fry were caught within 5 days in each section. Dispersion from the redd over 50 m occurred within 3-4 nights. During this first period, the fry exhibited similar characteristics with respect to activity patterns and sizes. After the modal day of capture, catches were more evenly spread over time (about 10 days) and showed greater variability in relation to the distance travelled from the redd.Resident fry were not uniformly distributed in the 5 sections : densities, as well as average weights, increased from upstream to downstream. Over 50 % of the surviving fry (75.3 % of planted eggs) settled within 50 m downstream from the redd.Our results showed two waves of downstream dispersion. The first dispersal wave, occurring soon after emergence, was swift and implied large numbers of fry. It was not the result of territorial competition or density, since it occurred before the onset of aggressive behaviour. Rather, this first wave appeared as process to avoid the formation of clumps and allow for a more efficient use of the more productive zones, generally located downstream from the redd. The second wave of downstream moving fry corresponded to late emerging fry and to those fry which, 10-12 days after emergence, were displaced by territorial competition

Exhaled nitric oxide in ethnically diverse highâ altitude native populations: A comparative study

ObjectivesAndean and Tibetan highâ altitude natives exhibit a high concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in the lungs, suggesting that NO plays an adaptive role in offsetting hypobaric hypoxia. We examined the exhaled NO concentration as well as partial pressure of several additional highâ altitude native populations in order to examine the possibility that this putative adaptive trait, that is, high exhaled NO, is universal.MethodsWe recruited two geographically diverse highland native populations, Tawang Monpa (TM), a Tibetan derived population in Northâ Eastern India (n = 95, sampled at an altitude of ~3,200â m), and Peruvian Quechua from the highland Andes (n = 412). The latter included three distinct subgroups defined as those residing at altitude (Qâ HAR, n = 110, sampled at 4,338â m), those born and residing at seaâ level (Qâ BSL, n = 152), and those born at altitude but migrant to seaâ level (Qâ M, n = 150). In addition, we recruited a referent sample of lowland natives of European ancestry from Syracuse, New York. Fraction of exhaled NO concentrations were measured using a NIOX NIMO following the protocol of the manufacturer.ResultsPartial pressure of exhaled nitric oxide (PENO) was significantly lower (pâ <â .05) in both highâ altitude resident groups (TM = 6.2â ±â 0.5 nmHg and Qâ HAR = 5.8â ±â 0.5 nmHg), as compared to the groups measured at sea level (USA = 14.6â ±â 0.7 nmHg, Qâ BSL = 18.9â ±â 1.6 nmHg, and Qâ M = 19.2â ±â 1.7 nmHg). PENO was not significantly different between TM and Qâ HAR (pâ <â .05).ConclusionIn contrast to previous work, we found lower PENO in populations at altitude (compared to seaâ level) and no difference in PENO between Tibetan and Andean highland native populations. These results do not support the hypothesis that high nitric oxide in human lungs is a universal adaptive mechanism of highland native populations to offset hypobaric hypoxia.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151909/1/ajpa23915.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151909/2/ajpa23915_am.pd