Survivor assessment of estate planning

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1967 R64Master of Scienc

Escalation, Restraint, and Comparative Advantage in Strategic Competition

In international relations, militarily and economically weaker states are frequently able to challenge more capable adversaries and secure favorable bargains that do not reflect the "conventional" balance of power. Existing research attributes such outcomes primarily to the concept of "resolve." In this dissertation, I introduce the concept of comparative advantage in strategic competition (CAiSC) as an additional factor explaining why conventionally weaker states can obtain favorable bargains. Under certain conditions, these states can leverage their proficiency fighting at lower coercive intensities to extract concessions from conventionally powerful states, because those states cannot credibly threaten to escalate the conflict to an intensity of comparative advantage. This concept has important empirical and policy implications, as it suggests that coercive power cannot be viewed or measured as a single aggregation of economic and military strengths and weaknesses. Rather, coercive power must be examined across the spectrum of conflict. States that cannot compete effectively at low coercive intensities risk facing significant bargaining disadvantages, especially when contesting issues not directly tied to state survival.Chapter 1 introduces the basic intuition of CAiSC and summarizes the building block concepts and literature necessary to explain its importance. Chapter 2 expands on the theory, beginning with a rationalist explanation of why comparative advantage gaps exist. It examines how strategies of limited coercion can be effective tools for limiting the risk of (nuclear) escalation while simultaneously upholding a reputation for action. Chapter 3 utilizes a formal model to examine conflict dynamics when feasible strategies of limited coercion are available. When the comparative advantage gap between states grows in size and winning the "final battle" is more difficult, the likelihood of conflict volatility and endogenously created commitment problems increases. Chapter 4 examines the Israeli-Arab conflict from 1966-1974, using transcript evidence to demonstrate the importance of CAiSC. The large comparative advantage gap between Israeli and Arab forces, combined with a threat of superpower intervention, explains the rapid escalation and de-escalation of that conflict better than alternative theories. Chapter 5 concludes with recommendations for U.S. policymakers based on a study of CAiSC and applied to deterrence and military acquisitions

Optimized air asset scheduling within a Joint Aerospace Operations Center (JAOC)

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Operations Research Center, 2015.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-97).In this thesis, we introduce and analyze models for air asset scheduling within a military theater. Specifically, we seek to create models that generate aircraft-specific schedules for Air Tasking Orders (ATOs) within a Joint Aerospace Operations Center (JAOC). A JAOC provides command and control of all air and space assets tasked to a particular region/area of responsibility (AOR) or strategic command. Scheduling these assets requires a high level of unified effort whereby centralized planning must be handled in a decentralized fashion and is known as the Air Tasking Cycle. Given the complexity of this process, subject matter experts from diverse backgrounds are required to design and plan missions for most operations. In addition, the difficulty of the process dictates that mission prioritization and aircraft/munitions allocation are separated in the cycle, sacrificing some global perspective for the sake of efficiency in the scheduling process. We present a modeling framework that allows planners to simultaneously select missions and assign aircraft/munitions to the missions, allowing for the optimal air asset scheduling toward the pursuit of theater-level objectives. This flexible framework takes into account air refueling considerations as well as the need for certain missions to be completed by "packages" of particular aircraft types. We submit heuristic, mixed integer optimization (MIO), and hybrid models within this structure and analyze the value of their schedules and the corresponding trade-offs with computational solve time.0by Kevin Joseph Rossillon.S.M

L'absence de compétence ratione materiae de la Cour pénale internationale en matière de terrorisme : quel avenir pour le jugement du terrorisme international ?

La Cour pénale internationale est compétente pour juger les crimes les plus graves commis à l'encontre de la communauté internationale. Cependant, elle ne dispose pas d'une compétence en matière de terrorisme. Pourtant ce phénomène est en pleine ascension et menace la communauté internationale dans son ensemble. Cette absence soulève de nombreuses interrogations. Dès lors, il est nécessaire de comprendre pourquoi les Etats n'ont pas inclus une telle compétence dans le chef de la Cour. Le travail tâchera de décortiquer l'absence de définition universelle du terrorisme, qui semble être une des principales raisons à l'absence d'une compétence de la Cour pénale internationale. Il aura également pour but de trouver des pistes de solution à la poursuite des auteurs d'infractions terroristes internationales lorsque les Etats n'ont pas la capacité ou la volonté d'assurer de telles procédures.Master [120] en droit, Université catholique de Louvain, 201

Camp Heyburn Description and Evaluation

yA report investigating the integrity of part of Camp Heyburn as a National Historic Site. This report is being conducted in order to determine if construction may be done that will further destroy the integrity of the site. The report finds that construction may commence and that Camp Heyburn is not suitable for the National Register of Historic Places.SP-