Norms for Assassination by Remotely Piloted Vehicle

Abstract This article briefly summarizes what is known about the formation and revision of norms 59 and applies that knowledge to the ongoing process of norm formation in the United States with regard to remotely piloted vehicles as they are currently being used for assassination 60 . It focuses particularly on the use of drones in Afghanistan, but its arguments apply to their use in places like Yemen, Somalia, and Libya as well. It recommends distinguishing between the military's and the CIA's drone programs, finds that the military's program is far more in line with American norms and argues that the CIA's program should be terminated or brought into line with those norms

Norms for Assassination by Remotely Piloted Vehicle; Strategic Insights: v.10, issue 2 (Summer 2011)

This article appeared in Strategic Insights (Summer 2011), v.10 no.2, p.30-34"This article briefly summarizes what is known about the formation and revision of norms and applies that knowledge to the ongoing process of norm formation in the United States with regard to remotely piloted vehicles as they are currently being used for assassination. It focuses particularly on the use of drones in Afghanistan, but its arguments apply to their use in places like Yemen, Somalia, and Libya as well. It recommends distinguishing between the military's and the CIA's [Central Intelligence Agency] drone programs, finds that the military's program is far more in line with American norms and argues that the CIA's program should be terminated or brought into line with those norms.

Not quite inexplicable: exploring the Bush administration's response to terrorism

This article briefly explores the many ways in which the George W. Bush administration's response to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 do not conform to the predictions of the rational actor model. The article suggests that foreign policy decision-making models which focus on the behaviour of organisations and on bureaucratic politics provide far more satisfactory explanations for such matters as the failure to anticipate the attacks, the decision to attack Iraq, the exclusion of certain major actors from the policy making process and the failure to anticipate the difficulties which would follow on the invasion of Iraq.rational actor model; organisational behaviour model; bureaucratic politics models; counterterrorism; multilateralism; pre-emption; neoconservatives; policy malpractice; terrorism; Bush administration; George W. Bush; USA; United States; terrorist attacks; 9/11; foreign policy; decision making; Iraq.

Acetylene and oxygen as inhibitors of nitrous oxide production in Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosospira briensis: a cautionary tale

Autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria produce nitrous oxide (N2O) as a by-product of nitrification or as an intermediate of nitrifier denitrification. In soil incubations, acetylene (C2H2) and large partial pressures of oxygen (O2) are used to distinguish between these sources. C2H2 inhibits ammonia oxidation and should therefore inhibit N2O production by both nitrification and nitrifier denitrification. O2 suppresses the reduction pathway of nitrifier denitrification. However, doubts concerning the reliability of C2H2 and O2 as inhibitors have arisen recently. Therefore, in this study we tested the influence of C2H2 and large partial pressures of O2 alone and in combination on N2O production in pure cultures of the ammonia oxidizers Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosospira briensis. C2H2 largely inhibited nitrite production in both ammonia oxidizers and N2O production by N. europaea. Surprisingly, it did not affect the N2O production in N. briensis. The variable response of ammonia oxidizers to C2H2 might have consequences for the use of C2H2 as an inhibitor of nitrification in soils. Different partial pressures of O2 ranging from less than 10 kPa O2 to 100 kPa O2 were tested for their effectiveness in inhibiting N2O production via nitrifier denitrification. The partial pressure of 100 kPa O2 yielded minimal N2O production by both ammonia-oxidizing species and seemed to inhibit N2O emission from nitrifier denitrification to a large extent. However, a negative effect of 100 kPa O2 on ammonia oxidation itself could not be excluded. The applicability of both inhibitors in determining N2O production pathways in soils is discussed. [KEYWORDS: Nitrous oxide; Acetylene; Oxygen; Ammonia oxidizer; Nitrifier denitrification]