50 research outputs found
North Korean Decisionmaking
Discerning the decisionmaking of Kim Jong-Un and the North Korean
regime on issues of peaceful engagement and warlike actions endures
as a mighty challenge for U.S. intelligence analysts and policymakers.
In this report, we seek to inform analysis of Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK) leadership decisionmaking. To do so, we
use three discussion papers that were written to facilitate discussion of
an interagency working group. The three papers are assembled here in
a single report. The first discussion paper describes decisionmaking
among different authoritarian regimes, including North Korea, and
the opening up of those economies to outside engagement. The second
paper outlines two different scenarios that might occur when conventional
deterrence on the Korean Peninsula breaks down and the resulting
decisions that North Korea’s leadership could face. The third paper
assesses DPRK decisionmaking about nuclear weapon use. The report
concludes with some observations, drawn from the issues covered in
these three discussion papers, about DPRK decisionmaking and stability
on the Korean Peninsula
Space Science and Technology Partnership Forum: Integration with Commercial In-Space Assembly Activities
No abstract availabl
One Europe or None? Monism, Involution and Relations with Russia
The crisis in relations between Russia and the European Union (EU) is part of the broader breakdown of the post-Cold War security order. This commentary focuses on structural interpretation and identifies four interlinked processes shaping the crisis: tension between the logic of the enlargement and transformation; a dynamic of involution and resistance; the problem of monism, whereby the expanding self is unable adequately to engage with the un-integrated other; and the recent emergence of ‘other Europes’ that may potentially overcome involution. The erosion of the Atlantic system provides an opportunity for delayed institutional and ideational innovation
Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4 butanediol (1,4-BD; BDO) : a literature review with a focus on UK fatalities related to non-medical use
Misuse of gamma hydroxybutrate (GHB) and gamma butyrolactone (GBL) has increased greatly since the early 1990s, being implicated in a rising number of deaths. This paper reviews knowledge on GHB and derivatives, and explores the largest series of deaths associated with their non-medical use. Descriptive analyses of cases associated with GHB/GBL and 1,4 butanediol (1,4-BD) use extracted from the UK’s National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths database. From 1995 to September 2013, 159 GHB/GBL-associated fatalities were reported. Typical victims: White (92%), young (mean age 32 years); male (82%); with a drug misuse history (70%). Most deaths (79%) were accidental or related to drug use, the remainder (potential) suicides. GHB/GBL alone was implicated in 37%; alcohol 14%; other drugs 28%; other drugs and alcohol 15%. Its endogenous nature and rapid elimination limit toxicological detection. Post-mortem blood levels: mean 482 (range 0 - 6500; S.D. 758) mg/L. Results suggest significant caution is needed when ingesting GHB/GBL, particularly with alcohol, benzodiazepines, opiates, stimulants, and ketamine. More awareness is needed about risks associated with consumption.Peer reviewe