How Can the United States Move toward Gender-Neutral Special Forces?: Lessons from the Norwegian Military

Militaries serve as cornerstones of many nations, and often behaviors within these militaries are reflected in society, and vice-versa. This article discusses key instances of female soldiers serving in the U.S. military and, more specifically, U.S. special operations forces. Team Lioness, Female Engagement Teams (FETs), and Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) have demonstrated not only that women are capable of serving in frontline roles but also that there exists a need for them to serve in those roles. This leads to an examination of whether a separate system of training and education for female soldiers could add value to the U.S. military’s current training systems. This article also takes a close look at the Norwegian Special Operations Forces all-female unit Jegertroppen, or Hunter Troop, to assess its advantages and drawbacks. The article concludes that despite some drawbacks regarding long-term deployment, the Jegertroppen program confirms the advantages of a separate system of training and education for female soldiers that could perhaps benefit the U.S. military

Military Culture 2.0: The Female Cadet’s Approach, Feminine Competencies, and Pan-Critical Feminism - Drawing examples from American and Norwegian Special Forces

Military values of honour, courage and loyalty are synonymous to male soldiers due to the association of the military with the alpha-male narrative. However, the everchanging nature of war urges for a new approach. One that is identified with female cadets and feminine competencies. The article explores examples from the U.S. and Norway to show practically how military training and education can benefit from the female soldiers’ approach. To back this argument, the author, explores feminist institutionalism and body politics. The author then suggests a new theoretical tool, pan-critical feminism, as the means to incorporate female values and competencies to represent the changing cohort of military institutions. The article finally discusses military culture through the lens of organisational culture to show that there is space for testing this idea, even though social perceptions create barriers to its implementatio

Dynamiques Socio-Economiques de l’Adoption de la Culture de l’Anacarde en Milieu Rural Ivoirien : Cas de la Sous-Préfecture de Languibonou

Résumé - La culture de l’anacarde en Côte d’Ivoire occupe une place importante dans l’économie rurale. Depuis les politiques de valorisation de cette culture, elle se présente comme la culture traditionnelle pour les populations du centre et du nord à la substitution du vivrier et du maraîcher. Tout en privilégiant l’approche mixte, l’étude a mobilisé la recherche documentaire, un questionnaire et un guide d’entretien pour la collecte des données sur le terrain. La théorie du changement social et celle de l’acteur stratégique ont servi de fondement théorique à l’analyse des données. Comme résultat, on retient que malgré les contraintes du marché liées aux fluctuations des prix bord-champ, l’anacarde fournit des revenus importants aux paysans et contribue au développement local à travers la création d’emplois directs et indirects. Face aux contraintes du marché, ils développent des stratégies d’extension des surfaces dans le but d’accroître leur production agricole. Celles-ci servent de stratégie de captation du foncier et constitue une menace pour l’économie alimentaire.Abstract – the cultivation of cashews in the Ivory Coast occupies an important place in the rural economy. Since the promotion policies of this culture, it presents itself as the traditional culture for the populations of the center and north in the substitution of the food crop and the market gardener. While favoring the mixed approach, the study mobilized documentary research, a questionnaire and an interview guide for collecting data in the field.the theory of social change and that of strategic actor served as the theoretical basis for the analysis of the data. As a result, we note that despite the market constraints linked to price fluctuations on the field, the cashew nut provides significant income to farmers and contributes to local development through the creation of direct and indirect jobs. Faced with market constraints, they are developing land extension strategies in order to increase their agricultural production. These serve as a land capture strategy and pose a threat to the food economy.Keywords – Agriculture, Cashew, Peasant, Economic Change,  Local developmen

Molecular Characterization of the Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to Second Line Drugs in Côte d’Ivoire

Purpose: To characterize the resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to second line drugs using a line probe assay.Methods: Multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated between December 2008 and December 2009 were tested for resistance to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs using GenoType® MTBDRsl.Results: Thirty eight strains gave interpretable results. None of them had a mutation in the gyrA gene. Regarding second-line injectable drugs, 4 strains (11 %) were resistant to aminoglycosides/ capreomycin and all of them harbored A1401G mutation.Conclusion: No extensive drug resistant strains were observed. A relatively high proportion of strains were resistant to at least one second-line injectable drug. Resistance mechanism seemed similar for all of them.Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Line probe assay, GenoType® MTBDRsl, Aminoglycosides Capreomycin, Mutatio

Niveaux socio-économiques et recours au personnel de santé qualifié lors de l’accouchement en Côte d’Ivoire

Skilled birth attendance is often the result of deeper causes reflecting socio-economic inequalities between populations. The aim of our study was to determine the influence of socio-economic level on the use of skilled attendants during childbirth in Côte d'Ivoire. We performed a multivariate analysis based on data from the MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys) conducted among women aged 15-49, in 2016. Findings revealed that in 2016, 74% of births were attended by skilled personnel. Women from households with higher socio-economic status exhibited significantly higher probabilities of utilizing skilled health professionals during childbirth, compared to those from the poorest households. The odds ratios (ORa) for women with poor, middle, rich, and richest standards of living were 1.63 (95% CI=1.27-2.10), 2.21 (95% CI=1.61-3.02), 5.33 (95% CI=3.24-8.76), and 6.35 (95% CI=2.91-13.9), respectively. Additionally, after adjusting for the wealth index, factors associated with assisted delivery included age group, place of residence, antenatal consultations, and parity. To improve skilled birth attendance, addressing socio-economic challenges is essential. Health policies focusing on women's economic empowerment have the potential to reduce social inequalities related to the utilization of skilled attendants during childbirth.L’accouchement assisté par du personnel qualifié est bien souvent l’émanation de causes plus profondes qui reflètent les inégalités socio-économiques entre les populations. Notre étude avait pour objectif de déterminer l’influence du niveau socio-économique sur le recours à un personnel qualifié lors de l’accouchement en Côte d’Ivoire. Nous avons réalisé une analyse multivariée issue des données de l’Enquête MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys)  réalisée chez les femmes âgées de  15-49 ans, en 2016. Notre étude a révélé qu’en 2016, la proportion des accouchements assistés par un personnel qualifié était de 74%. Par rapport aux femmes dont le niveau de vie du ménage était le plus pauvre, celles avec un niveau de vie pauvre (ORa=1,63 ; IC 95%=1,27-2,10), moyen (ORa=2,21 ; IC 95%=1,61-3,02), riche (ORa=5,33 ; IC 95%=3,24-8,76) et le plus riche (ORa=6,35 ; IC 95%=2,91-13,9) avaient une probabilité significativement plus élevée d’avoir recours à un professionnel de santé qualifié lors de l'accouchement. De plus après avoir ajusté avec l’indice de richesse, les facteurs associés à l’accouchement assisté comprenaient la tranche d'âge, le lieu de résidence, la consultation prénatale, et la parité. L’amélioration de l’accouchement assisté par du personnel qualifié nécessite la prise en compte des défis socio-économiques. Des politiques de santé s’appuyant sur l'autonomisation économique des femmes devraient pouvoir réduire les inégalités sociales en rapport avec le recours à un personnel qualifié lors de l’accouchement