Accountability, Immunity, & Impunity: How the UN Avoids Justice in Haiti

Following the devastating 2010 earthquake, the world’s largest cholera epidemic broke out on the island of Haiti, taking the lives of an estimated 8,500 and continuing to afflict more than 685,000. Scientific analysis undeniably traced the cholera strain to the improper disposal of waste and negligent screening standards of United Nations (UN) Nepalese Peacekeeping troops, garnering calls for the UN to take responsibility and provide reparations for the outbreak. Despite legal attempts on behalf of the victims, the Peacekeeping troops and the UN as a whole have escaped accountability for their crimes. This paper comprehensively evaluates the accountability literature to demonstrate that the interpretation of the UN’s immunity clause directly contradicts the humanitarian norms and international laws the UN was created to uphold, creating a disparity between the intentions of the institution and the actions that result. I argue that the immunity clause has shaped an institutional culture of impunity, one in which the lack of legal recourse for victims allows the UN to shirk basic responsibilities and abuse host populations. This in turn has set a precedent of immunity for today’s international sphere, wherein most IGOs (intergovernmental organizations) and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have modeled their own immunity clauses after the UN’s, leading to a global culture of legal immunity. This paper ultimately demands the reform of the immunity clause before discussing potential accountability mechanisms, including the enforcement of SOFAs (Status of Forces Agreements) and the trial of the UN in national courts, in order to reconcile peacekeeping actions with international law and attain justice for the Haitian people

Multilevel Monte Carlo for Random Degenerate Scalar Convection Diffusion Equation

We consider the numerical solution of scalar, nonlinear degenerate convection-diffusion problems with random diffusion coefficient and with random flux functions. Building on recent results on the existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence of weak solutions on data in the deterministic case, we develop a definition of random entropy solution. We establish existence, uniqueness, measurability and integrability results for these random entropy solutions, generalizing \cite{Mishr478,MishSch10a} to possibly degenerate hyperbolic-parabolic problems with random data. We next address the numerical approximation of random entropy solutions, specifically the approximation of the deterministic first and second order statistics. To this end, we consider explicit and implicit time discretization and Finite Difference methods in space, and single as well as Multi-Level Monte-Carlo methods to sample the statistics. We establish convergence rate estimates with respect to the discretization parameters, as well as with respect to the overall work, indicating substantial gains in efficiency are afforded under realistic regularity assumptions by the use of the Multi-Level Monte-Carlo method. Numerical experiments are presented which confirm the theoretical convergence estimates.Comment: 24 Page

Determination of |V_us| from hadronic tau decays

The recent update of the strange spectral function and the moments of the invariant mass distribution by the OPAL collaboration from hadronic tau decay data are employed to determine |V_us| as well as m_s. Our result, |V_us|=0.2208\pm0.0034, is competitive to the standard extraction of |V_us| from K_e3 decays and to the new proposals to determine it. Furthermore, the error associated to our determination of |V_us| can be reduced in the future since it is dominated by the experimental uncertainty that will be eventually much improved by the B-factories hadronic tau data. Another improvement that can be performed is the simultaneous fit of both |V_us| and m_s to a set of moments of the hadronic tau decays invariant mass distribution, which will provide even a more accurate determination of both parameters.Comment: 6 pages. Invited talk given by E.G. at the XXXXth Rencontres de Moriond on Electroweak Interactions and Unified Theories, La Thuile, Italy, 5-12 Mar 200

Momentum-resolved evolution of the Kondo lattice into 'hidden-order' in URu2Si2

We study, using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, the evolution of the electronic structure in URu2Si2 at the Gamma, Z and X high-symmetry points from the high-temperature Kondo-screened regime to the low-temperature `hidden-order' (HO) state. At all temperatures and symmetry points, we find structures resulting from the interaction between heavy and light bands, related to the Kondo lattice formation. At the X point, we directly measure a hybridization gap of 11 meV already open at temperatures above the ordered phase. Strikingly, we find that while the HO induces pronounced changes at Gamma and Z, the hybridization gap at X does not change, indicating that the hidden-order parameter is anisotropic. Furthermore, at the Gamma and Z points, we observe the opening of a gap in momentum in the HO state, and show that the associated electronic structure results from the hybridization of a light electron band with the Kondo-lattice bands characterizing the paramagnetic state.Comment: Updated published version. Mansucript + Supplemental Material (8 pages, 9 figures). Submitted 16 September 201

The future shape of AUSTUDY: Practical and policy implications of the recent proposed changes

ABSTUDY, the Aboriginal Study Assistance Scheme, is one of the most contentious special programs in Indigenous affairs. In May 1997 the Howard Government announced a number of changes to ABSTUDY, including substantial reductions in funding by fiscal year 2000/01; these changes are to go into effect from 1 January 1998. This paper has been prepared to provide an overview of the announced changes and speculate on some of the possible outcomes. Nationally, the number of ABSTUDY participants has fluctuated only marginally over the past several years, increasing from 40,813 in 1988 to 48,769 in 1996. Expenditure on ABSTUDY grew from $81.1 million to$121.6 million during this same period. Calculated in 1988/89 dollars, expenditure between 1988 and 1996 increased 12 per cent while the Consumer Price Index increased by 34 per cent. As part of the announced ABSTUDY changes, the Government has projected reductions in outlays of $38.7 million by fiscal year 2000ö01. Even with low levels of inflation, the proposed cuts to ABSTUDY represent a significant drop in Government expenditure. Overview of the announced changes Effective 1 January 1998, ABSTUDY benefits will be subject to a range of additional restrictions: Living Allowance: where ABSTUDY had employed a 'sudden death' cut off, from 1998 the cut-off will be replaced by an abatement scheme with a threshold well below current cut-off levels. Additional Incidentals Allowance: there is currently no limit to the allowance (except for Masters and PhD students for whom a$2,000 limit applies). From 1998, the allowance will be capped at $2,000 for all students. School Fees Allowance: beginning in 1998, the applicant (or the partner of the applicant) must qualify for Government assistance to be eligible for this allowance. Fares Allowance: travel interstate for certificate or enabling courses will no longer be allowed; compassionate travel will be limited to two return trips per year; travel home will be restricted where the student has brought dependent family members to the place of study; and fare assistance to attend a graduation ceremony will be restricted. Eligibility and awards: from 1998, students will be eligible for ABSTUDY assistance for only one undergraduate and two postgraduate courses. Away From Base Assistance: from 1998, this assistance will be restricted to a maximum of two return trips of no more than four weeks duration per year. Courses composed wholly or substantially of Away From Base components will no longer be eligible for coverage under ABSTUDY. Considerations for the future It is impossible to project the full impact of the announced changes at the present time; necessary data on current participants are not accessible and figures for Indigenous enrolments will not be available until well after the changes have gone into effect. Some predictions are possible, however. For example, while DEETYA staff have estimated that 550 students would be affected by the changes to the Away From Base component of ABSTUDY, research undertaken for this paper indicates that as many as 868 students in eight universities across 11 campuses could be affected immediately by these changes in the State of New South Wales alone. The authors conclude that there is a serious disjunction between the Government's announced commitment to improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians and reductions in a program developed specifically to improve the educational and employment prospects of a socially and economically disadvantaged segment of the population. From a policy perspective, it is puzzling that plans to pare back a program that many would argue has been instrumental in increasing Indigenous access and participation in education were announced before the Government's formal review of the program had been started, let alone completed. Further, the lack of detail on cost savings and the absence of any educational rationale leaves a distinct impression that this is an ideological and politically-driven exercise rather than one based on sound educational or economic principles. The issues are not merely political ones. If Indigenous access to education is impeded, participation will decline. If participation declines, employment opportunities will likely decline as well. If employment opportunities decline the social welfare bill, and associated negative externalities for Australia, will increase

Evidence of momentum dependent hybridization in Ce2Co0.8Si3.2

We studied the electronic structure of the Kondo lattice system Ce2Co0.8Si3.2 by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The spectra obtained below the coherence temperature consist of a Kondo resonance, its spin-orbit partner and a number of dispersing bands. The quasiparticle weight related to the Kondo peak depends strongly on Fermi vectors associated with bulk bands. This indicates a highly anisotropic hybridization between conduction band and 4f electrons - V_{cf} in Ce2Co0.8Si3.2.Comment: 6 page

A high-reflectivity high-Q micromechanical Bragg-mirror

We report on the fabrication and characterization of a micromechanical oscillator consisting only of a free-standing dielectric Bragg mirror with high optical reflectivity and high mechanical quality. The fabrication technique is a hybrid approach involving laser ablation and dry etching. The mirror has a reflectivity of 99.6%, a mass of 400ng, and a mechanical quality factor Q of approximately 10^4. Using this micromirror in a Fabry Perot cavity, a finesse of 500 has been achieved. This is an important step towards designing tunable high-Q high-finesse cavities on chip.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure