Australia’s military engagement with Malaysia, 1955–2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 220-244
Author(s):  
Richard Niessl
Keyword(s):  
Military Engagement

Post-Heroic Warfare Revisited: Meaning and Legitimation of Military Losses

Sociology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Frisk
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Moral Worth ◽  
Second World War ◽  
World War ◽  
The Social ◽  
Military Engagement ◽  
Military Campaign ◽  
The Military ◽  
Second World

The article challenges the thesis that western societies have moved towards a post-heroic mood in which military casualties are interpreted as nothing but a waste of life. Using content analysis and qualitative textual analysis of obituaries produced by the Royal Danish Army in memory of soldiers killed during the Second World War (1940–1945) and the military campaign in Afghanistan (2002–2014), the article shows that a ‘good’ military death is no longer conceived of as a patriotic sacrifice, but is instead legitimised by an appeal to the unique moral worth, humanitarian goals and high professionalism of the fallen. The article concludes that fatalities in international military engagement have invoked a sense of post-patriotic heroism instead of a post-heroic crisis, and argues that the social order of modern society has underpinned, rather than undermined, ideals of military self-sacrifice and heroism, contrary to the predominant assumption of the literature on post-heroic warfare.

De-Mythologizing Peacekeeping

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 33-55
Author(s):  
Vesselin Popovski
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Military Force ◽  
Military Engagement

Peacekeeping, one of the major innovations in United Nations history, has been regarded as an activity falling under ‘Chapter Six and a half’ of the un Charter. Many have also urged that peacekeeping be made more robust and to engage with military force against ‘spoilers’. This article questions these two myths – ‘Chapter Six and a half’ and ‘robust peacekeeping’ – and argues that providing ambiguous half-half mandates and expecting peacekeepers to engage robustly has created a lot of confusion. It advocates for clarity and distinction between peacekeeping and military engagement, and recommends to delegate these two roles to two fully separate actors, well equipped and trained to exercise them professionally.

scholarly journals Limits and Possibilities of the United States Military in Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Stabilization

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alcir Santos Neto
Keyword(s):  
Nation Building ◽  
The United States ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Inspector General ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Post War ◽  
Military Engagement

This study probes the limits and possibilities of US military efforts to facilitate the transition from warfighting to nation-building. Most comparative studies conceive the complexity of this transition along a spectrum from conflict to humanitarian assistance to post-conflict stabilization. While the last two stages have often been interpreted as a coordinated act of civil-military ‘nation-building’; the spectrum, in fact, represents an ideal type simplification. At one level, outcomes depend on the players involved, including: sovereign nations, national militaries, international and regional institutions, UN peacekeepers, private security contractors, and non-governmental humanitarian providers, among others. On the other hand, because the number, types, and causes of case outcomes are highly diverse and contingent upon many possible factors (among them for example: political, economic, military, organizational, humanitarian, cultural, and religious), institutions like the US military face serious difficulties both planning and coordinating post-conflict scenarios. Assuming this complex backdrop, the present study offers a qualitative analysis of two recent US government reports by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) on US military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. In both cases, the US government sought to ‘nation-build’ by facilitating post-war stabilization and humanitarian assistance, detailing its genuine efforts to record both processes. While results indicate some limited successes in both cases, they also indicate a familiar pattern of uneven performance failures consistent with other cases internationally. The analysis concludes with recommendations for further research that may better control the contingencies of post-conflict management.

scholarly journals Slagscener i det elizabethanske teater

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (80) ◽  
pp. 125-144
Author(s):  
Christian Dahl
Keyword(s):  
17Th Century ◽  
Narrative Development ◽  
Cultural Impact ◽  
English Drama ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Acoustic Representation ◽  
Battle Scenes ◽  
Military Engagement ◽  
The Many ◽  
Early English

Christian Dahl: “Battle scenes in the Elizabethan theater”This article analyses the widespread use of staged battle in Elizabethan theater by use of data extracted from Folger Library’s Digital Anthology of Early English Drama. Between 1576 and 1616, hundreds of battle scenes were produced on English stages but although a substantial number is still available for study, only few scholars have recognized their significance. The many battle scenes both attest to the Elizabethans’ vivid interest in history and to the cultural impact of England’s increasing military engagement on the Continent and in Ireland at the end of Elizabeth’s reign. It is often assumed that histories and battle scenes were particularly popular in the 1590’ies and then fell out of fashion early in the 17th century, but the article demonstrates that staged war remained a frequent occurrence in the first two decades of the century and never disappeared entirely. The article discusses visual and, in particular, acoustic representation of warfare based on the evidence of surviving plays and other documents. The article will also (very) briefly sketch the narrative development of battle scenes that took place in the 1590ies.

Abu Dhabi will pivot to ‘soft power’ security policies

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Security Policies ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Special Forces ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Military Engagement

Significance UAE military engagement abroad since the 1990s has earned it the nickname ‘Little Sparta’. Its activities included a lengthy mission alongside NATO forces in Afghanistan and special forces-led interventions in Libya and Yemen. Impacts Increased COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy could be an important component of the Emirati soft power approach. UAE purchases of expensive weapons and maintenance of Red Sea basing options will focus on the Iran threat. Defence industrial ties will strengthen with the United States and Israel.

The Case for ‘Trust Awareness’ as a Key Soft-Skill for Peacekeepers

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 224-245
Author(s):  
Sara Singleton ◽  
Anne Holohan
Keyword(s):  
Local Institutions ◽  
Local Ownership ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
South Lebanon ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Military Engagement ◽  
Organizational Cooperation

This article uses the case study of the unifil mission in South Lebanon to explore the role of trust in facilitating or obstructing inter-organizational cooperation and local ownership in a traditional UN peacekeeping mission. Peacekeeping is distinct from many other forms of military engagement in the level of cooperation it requires, not only between different national military contingents, but between militaries and international police and civilian staff, personnel from local institutions and municipalities, and local communities. This article argues that the inter-organizational cooperation necessary for effective interoperability will not happen unless there is trust between the militaries working together. Equally, local ownership is not possible unless local populations trust peacekeepers to be impartial. However, this soft skill – awareness of the role of trust and how to engender it – is not included in pre-deployment training for military personnel. We outline the soft skill of ‘trust awareness’, including a typology of trust relevant for peacekeeping, and ‘trust mechanics’- practical actions and behaviors that foster trust.

scholarly journals China’s Role in the Middle East: Current Debates and Future Trends

2017 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 39-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liangxiang Jin
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Power Relationship ◽  
Major Power ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
New Type ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
Military Engagement ◽  
Middle East Policy

There are two prevailing arguments among international observers about China’s role in the Middle East. One is that China has been a “security free-rider;” the other is that China is fundamentally a business-seeker. Yet neither of the two is well-grounded. If viewed comprehensively rather than in terms of military engagement alone, China’s contribution to stability and security of the region is enormous, and its role in the Middle East can be described as a combination of a major economic partner, a low-profile mediator and a modest but important provider of security public goods. As China has proposed various new concepts and initiatives as guidelines of its foreign policy, its future policy toward the Middle East can be best understood through its increasing efforts to promote the “Belt and Road” initiative, to develop a new-type major-power relationship, and to uphold justice and pursue shared interests with all related countries. With ever more Chinese engagement in the region, China’s Middle East policy is expected to be delivered in a more comprehensive way. However, China is not likely to seek dominant presence in the region in the foreseeable future.

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