scholarly journals Risk and the fabrication of apolitical, unaccountable military markets: the case of the CIA ‘Killing Program’

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 2253-2268 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNA LEANDER
Keyword(s):  
Blind Spot ◽  
Normal Part ◽  
Hybrid Nature ◽  
Political Reality ◽  
Security Markets ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Military Security ◽  
Legal Innovation ◽  
Innovative Thinking ◽  
Do So

AbstractThis article argues that risk is central in (re)producing the unaccountable commercial military/security markets that are a normal part of our political reality. The argument is twofold: first it is suggested that risk rationalities and the associated ‘preventive imperative’ has a depoliticising effect – accentuated by the impersonal spread of risk rationalities and the strategies of risk professionals – which lowers the eagerness to seek accountability. However, and second, depoliticisation is significant above all as a serious obstacle to the innovative thinking that is the sine qua non of effective accountability. The enmeshed, ‘hybrid’, nature of the market places it in the ‘blind spot’ of law and is as such fundamental to the current lack of accountability. Consequently, moving beyond established regulatory frameworks and technical understandings of accountability (that is, politicising the market) is a precondition for more effective accountability. Failing to do so, will leave the current rapid legal innovation impotent while reinforcing impunity as the focus on and confidence in established regulatory frameworks grows. The failure to politicise creates an ‘accountability paradox’ where the pursuit of accountability diminishes it. The article develops this argument with reference to Blackwater's (now Xe) role in the so called CIA ‘Killing Program’.

scholarly journals New Integrated Approaches to Climate Emergency Landscape Strategies: The Case of Pan-European SATURN Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8419
Author(s):  
Anastasia Nikologianni ◽  
Alessandro Betta ◽  
Angelica Pianegonda ◽  
Sara Favargiotti ◽  
Kathryn Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blind Spot ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Regional Strategies ◽  
Innovation And Technology ◽  
Development Goals

The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies. The immense potential of peri-urban and rural hinterlands to counter the climate emergency is therefore also overlooked. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)Climate-KIC’s (Knowledge and Innovation Community) System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes (SATURN) aims to address this short-sightedness. The reason why we do not see or value the landscape is complex, but part of the problem relates to its multiple ownership, numerous types and scales of conflicting designations, governance structures, policy requirements, and regulatory frameworks. This leads to an approach that is fragmented and sectoral and, therefore, fails to see the bigger picture or recognise the value that the territory has in order to deal with current environmental challenges. With partners from across Europe, the pan-European Orchestrated Ecosystem research project co-funded by EIT Climate-KIC, SATURN aims to develop new integrated strategies which will increase awareness of the capacity of the landscape, which is seen is seen as a vital way to address the deepening climate emergency. SATURN anticipates that the outputs will build capacity across Europe to help nation-states meet the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and respond to the environmental challenges. This paper, reporting on interim findings, sets out the next phase of the project and concludes with lessons learned so far, including an initial identification of processes that can be applied in regions across Europe and an evaluation of the significance of exchanging knowledge between different countries.

Responses by the United States to Attacks on the Rohingya in Burma

2018 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-326
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
The United States ◽  
Minority Populations ◽  
Ethnic Cleansing ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Security Forces ◽  
Military Security ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Do So

On November 22, 2017, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a statement addressing attacks on the Rohingya population in Burma: [T]he key test of any democracy is how it treats its most vulnerable and marginalized populations, such as the ethnic Rohingya and other minority populations. Burma's government and security forces must respect the human rights of all persons within its borders, and hold accountable those who fail to do so.… .These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh. After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

scholarly journals The Ottoman origins of capitalism: uneven and combined development and Eurocentrism

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEREM NISANCIOGLU
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Uneven And Combined Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
Transition To Capitalism ◽  
The One ◽  
Do So

AbstractThe history of capitalism's origins is unmistakably Eurocentric, placing sixteenth-century developments in politics, economy, culture, and ideology squarely within the unique context of Europe. And while the disciplinary remit of International Relations (IR) should offer a way out of such European provincialism, it too has been built on largely Eurocentric assumptions. In Eurocentric approaches, the Ottoman Empire has been absent, passive, or merely a comparative foil against which the specificity and superiority of Europe has been defined. And yet, the Ottoman Empire was arguably the most powerful actor in the Early Modern period. In this article, I argue that any history of capitalism's origins must therefore account for the historical importance of the Ottomans. In doing so, this article seeks to address the non-European blind-spot, both in theorisations of capitalism's origins and in IR theory, by reincorporating the material significance of the Ottoman Empire in historical processes, which led to the transition to capitalism. I do so by utilising the theory of Uneven and Combined Development, and in the process seek to defend its credentials as a non-Eurocentric social theory on the one hand and as a sociologically and historically sensitive theory of international relations on the other.

scholarly journals Paul Ricœur and the Utopia of Mutual Recognition

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonçalo Marcelo
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Standard Model ◽  
Mutual Recognition ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Alternative Conception ◽  
The Other ◽  
Direct Influence ◽  
The Standard Model ◽  
Ethics Of Recognition ◽  
Do So

This article situates The Course of Recognition in the context of Ricœurian philosophy and contemporary debates on mutual recognition. This article reconstructs the debate between Ricœur and mainstream recognition scholars, as well as with the other figures, such as Boltanski, Thévenot and Hénaff, who had a direct influence in the way Ricœur fleshed out his alternative conception of recognition. By connecting recognition with Ricœur’s notions of ideology and utopia, we are able to uncover a major blind spot in the standard model of recognition,and to undo ideological and reified forms of recognition. Honneth and Ricœur both aim at societies whose members are duly recognized, but they do so in radically different manners. Whereas Honneth’s model must be politicized in order to become relevant to social change, Ricœur evisages social change in a pure ethics of recognition.

scholarly journals Beyond Military Humanitarian Intervention: From Assassination to Election Hacking?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-128
Author(s):  
Alexander Leveringhaus
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Humanitarian Intervention ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Traditional Concept ◽  
Critical View ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Kinetic Force ◽  
Do So

This paper critically examines the implications of technology for the ethics of intervention and vice versa, especially regarding (but not limited to) the concept of military humanitarian intervention (MHI). To do so, it uses two recent pro-interventionist proposals as lenses through which to analyse the relationship between interventionism and technology. These are A. Altman and C.H. Wellman’s argument for the assassination of tyrannical leaders, and C. Fabre’s case for foreign electoral subversion. Existing and emerging technologies, the paper contends, play an important role in realising these proposals. This illustrates the potential of technology to facilitate interventionist practices that transcend the traditional concept of MHI, with its reliance on kinetic force and large-scale military operations. The question, of course, is whether this is normatively desirable. Here, the paper takes a critical view. While there is no knockdown argument against either assassination or electoral subversion for humanitarian purposes, both approaches face similar challenges, most notably regarding public accountability, effectiveness, and appropriate regulatory frameworks. The paper concludes by making alternative suggestions for how technology can be utilised to improve the protection of human rights. Overall, the paper shows that an engagement with technology is fruitful and necessary for the ethics of intervention.

Access to EU Documents: An End at Last to the Authorship Rule?

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 440-448
Author(s):  
Moritz von Unger
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Law ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Court ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
First Time ◽  
Do So

AbstractThe key legal text governing public access to EU documents is Regulation 1049/2001. In contrast to the previous legal regime, the Regulation dismisses the so called authorship rule, which aligns it with recent developments in the field of the law of transparency and, notably, of international environmental law (Aarhus Convention). The European institutions are hence tasked with making all documents accessible to the public, which include both those originating with them and those from third parties. Yet unlike the Aarhus Convention, the Regulation has a blind spot, which leads to the important question of whether a Member State can simply order the institutions to withhold any of its documents whenever it chooses to do so. For the first time, the European Court of Justice is being asked to hand down a judgment on this question. The author suggests that the Court may wish to consider an interpretation of Regulation 1049/2001 that adjusts it further to the international standard as set by the Aarhus Convention.

Concepts in morphogenesis

1977 ◽  
Vol 199 (1136) ◽  
pp. 337-344 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Active Cell ◽  
Cell Multiplication ◽  
Cell Locomotion ◽  
History Of ◽  
Do So

The idea is now widely accepted that active cell locomotion is an important mechanism in many kinds of animal morphogenesis. The history of the idea suggests, however, that there was a peculiarly strong resistance to its acceptance. The resistance was not overtly expressed, but localized cell multiplication was nearly always preferred in explanations of morphogenesis. It is argued that, by the end of the nineteenth century, the knowledge existed that should have encouraged interpretation of many embryonic events in terms of cell locomotion. It did not do so, and in the history of other branches of development biology a similar reluctance to entertain the idea is discernible. It can be illustrated from studies of tissue culture and of malignant invasion. Some speculations about the nature of this temporary blind spot are discussed.

scholarly journals GOING AGAINST THE TIDE: SEEKING REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATE MILITARY/SECURITY COMPANIES IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Juma
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Military Security ◽  
Normative Standards ◽  
Privatization Of Security ◽  
Globalized World ◽  
Domestic Level ◽  
Security Companies

This article discusses the role of privatization of security in Africa, but its focus is on private military and security companies (PMSCs). The article proceeds on the basis that there is need for effective regulatory frameworks for PMSCs that operate in conflict zones of Africa. Thus, it begins by appraising the existing normative standards at the international, regional and domestic level that apply to these companies, and thereafter, identifies their shortcomings in light of the prevailing security conditions within the continent. The article then posits broad theoretical imperatives for designing a more effective regulatory framework for PMSCs and concludes by proposing the establishment an overarching continental regime constructed on the basis of the suggested imperatives.

Holding replication studies to mainstream standards of evidence

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duane T. Wegener ◽  
Leandre R. Fabrigar
Keyword(s):  
Replication Studies ◽  
Replication Research ◽  
Standards Of Evidence ◽  
Do So

AbstractReplications can make theoretical contributions, but are unlikely to do so if their findings are open to multiple interpretations (especially violations of psychometric invariance). Thus, just as studies demonstrating novel effects are often expected to empirically evaluate competing explanations, replications should be held to similar standards. Unfortunately, this is rarely done, thereby undermining the value of replication research.

Electron Microscopy of a Herpesvirus Isolated from Marek's Disease in Duck and Chicken Embryo Fibroblast Cultures

1968 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 222-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyvan Nazerian
Keyword(s):  
Inclusion Bodies ◽  
Chicken Embryo Fibroblast ◽  
Marek's Disease ◽  
Marek’S Disease ◽  
Duck Embryo Fibroblast ◽  
Multinucleated Cells ◽  
Viral Particles ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
And Control ◽  
Do So

A herpes-like virus has been isolated from duck embryo fibroblast (DEF) cultures inoculated with blood from Marek's disease (MD) infected birds. Cultures which contained this virus produced MD in susceptible chickens while virus negative cultures and control cultures failed to do so. This and other circumstantial evidence including similarities in properties of the virus and the MD agent implicate this virus in the etiology of MD.Histochemical studies demonstrated the presence of DNA-staining intranuclear inclusion bodies in polykarocytes in infected cultures. Distinct nucleo-plasmic aggregates were also seen in sections of similar multinucleated cells examined with the electron microscope. These aggregates are probably the same as the inclusion bodies seen with the light microscope. Naked viral particles were observed in the nucleus of infected cells within or on the edges of the nucleoplasmic aggregates. These particles measured 95-100mμ, in diameter and rarely escaped into the cytoplasm or nuclear vesicles by budding through the nuclear membrane (Fig. 1). The enveloped particles (Fig. 2) formed in this manner measured 150-170mμ in diameter and always had a densely stained nucleoid. The virus in supernatant fluids consisted of naked capsids with 162 hollow, cylindrical capsomeres (Fig. 3). Enveloped particles were not seen in such preparations.

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