scholarly journals The state of conflicts today: Can humanitarian action adapt?

2015 ◽  
Vol 97 (900) ◽  
pp. 1179-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia McGoldrick
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
The Past ◽  
Humanitarian Response ◽  
The Face ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Syrian Conflict

AbstractHow do the dynamics of contemporary armed conflict shape, and constrain, humanitarian action? Is the international humanitarian “system”1 really at breaking point, as is often claimed? Or will it adapt to the changing realities not just of warfare but of global geopolitical shifts – as it has done repeatedly in the past – and evolve into something different? By way of response, the first part of this article offers a snapshot of today's armed conflicts and other situations of violence, focusing initially on the trends and features apparent in the Syrian conflict – which has in many ways come to define twenty-first-century warfare – and moving on to other countries and regions, many of which share at least some of these features, albeit in varying degrees. It considers the humanitarian consequences of today's armed conflicts and other situations of violence, and the implications for humanitarian response – which, at least on an international level, is indeed facing a watershed. The second part aims to show that even a glance back at key aspects of the evolution of humanitarian action over the past century – largely in response to the evolving nature of warfare and the developing international system – will remind us of quite radical changes in the face of major upheavals and challenges, not all of them dissimilar to those of today. The third part suggests that in today's global environment, international humanitarian response will continue to evolve and ultimately take on a different shape: one that reflects the changing nature of conflict and the geopolitical power shifts that go with it. With the rise of the global South, and the increasing recognition of the importance of local actors to humanitarian action, particular attention is given to the evolving relationship between local and international actors. In conclusion, the article reiterates some of the main reasons why humanitarian action – and international humanitarian actors in particular – will likely continue to adapt (albeit with varying degrees of success) to a changing world.

Aftershocks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seva Gunitsky
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Regime Change ◽  
International System ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Great Powers ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sudden Rise ◽  
The World ◽  
National Borders

Over the past century, democracy spread around the world in turbulent bursts of change, sweeping across national borders in dramatic cascades of revolution and reform. This book offers a new global-oriented explanation for this wavelike spread and retreat—not only of democracy but also of its twentieth-century rivals, fascism, and communism. The book argues that waves of regime change are driven by the aftermath of cataclysmic disruptions to the international system. These hegemonic shocks, marked by the sudden rise and fall of great powers, have been essential and often-neglected drivers of domestic transformations. Though rare and fleeting, they not only repeatedly alter the global hierarchy of powerful states but also create unique and powerful opportunities for sweeping national reforms—by triggering military impositions, swiftly changing the incentives of domestic actors, or transforming the basis of political legitimacy itself. As a result, the evolution of modern regimes cannot be fully understood without examining the consequences of clashes between great powers, which repeatedly—and often unsuccessfully—sought to cajole, inspire, and intimidate other states into joining their camps.

scholarly journals School Consolidation and Notions of Progress: Why Community Actors Almost Always Lose the Fight to Keep Local Schools and How They Can Turn the Tables

in education ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Essential Role ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Community Action ◽  
School Consolidation ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
The Face ◽  
Effective Community

Supported by a growing body of research, the idea that schools have an essential role to play in local community cohesion and development has gained currency among urban and rural school advocates alike. Yet moving theory into action often grinds to a halt in the face of a recalcitrant bureaucracy. To understand why, it is important to step back and examine the theoretical framework of progress that has driven school consolidation and bureaucratization over the past century. Knowing these underlying power dynamics will help community advocates understand where their power is weakest, and where it is strongest, leading to more effective community action in defence of local schools.Keywords: school consolitation; community action; community school

scholarly journals Radical women in social work: A historical prespective from North America

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
Therese Jennissen ◽  
Colleen Lundy
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Face ◽  
Politically Active ◽  
Very High

INTRODUCTION: Many challenges that confront social workers today are similar to problems they have faced over the past century – inequality, poverty, unemployment, militarisation and armed conflict, and the challenges of refugee resettlement, to name a few. It is instructive for contemporary social workers to revisit this history and to determine if there are lessons to inform our current struggles.METHOD: This paper explores the issues faced and strategies employed by radical, politically active social workers, most of them women. These social workers had visions of social justice and were not afraid to challenge the status quo, often at very high personal costs. The radical social workers were expressly interested in social change that centred on social justice, women’s rights, anti-racism, international peace, and they worked in close alliance and solidarity with other progressive groups.CONCLUSIONS: This article highlights the work of five radical female social workers. Radical social workers were in the minority but they were extraordinarily active and made important contributions in the face of formidable challenges.

The importance of synthetic chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6424) ◽  
pp. eaat0805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. Campos ◽  
Paul J. Coleman ◽  
Juan C. Alvarez ◽  
Spencer D. Dreher ◽  
Robert M. Garbaccio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Synthetic Methods ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Synthetic Chemistry ◽  
Drug Discovery And Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Face ◽  
Chemical Matter

Innovations in synthetic chemistry have enabled the discovery of many breakthrough therapies that have improved human health over the past century. In the face of increasing challenges in the pharmaceutical sector, continued innovation in chemistry is required to drive the discovery of the next wave of medicines. Novel synthetic methods not only unlock access to previously unattainable chemical matter, but also inspire new concepts as to how we design and build chemical matter. We identify some of the most important recent advances in synthetic chemistry as well as opportunities at the interface with partner disciplines that are poised to transform the practice of drug discovery and development.

“Graphics, Social Movements, and the Race to Eradicate Abortion: Why America Will Take Gold”

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuza Kurzawa
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Societal Change ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Face ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Graphic Image ◽  
Pro Life

Skeletal figures of Holocaust victims, wounds and scars of the enslaved, blackened lungs of the smoker; powerful images convey powerful narratives. Over the past century, media has become increasingly pervasive. For social movements, this tool played a key role in achieving mass societal change. Looking to mimic a lasting paradigm shift, pro-life groups have realized that images are the catalyst for change. Ignoring the normative element of abortion, it is important to acknowledge two common goals shared by the pro-life and pro-choice communities. First, both desire to help women. Second, both want to reduce the number of abortions. The obvious disconnect, is the means under which both goals are met. However, over the past decade, the efforts of various ‘Centres for Bio-Ethical Reform’ have shown that one of the most effective methods in achieving both goals has been through graphic image campaigns. It will be argued that in order to help couples make informed decisions, and reduce the number of abortions, images of human development and abortion must be readily available to couples in crisis pregnancy. Using the findings and testimonies from the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform Florida 2011 mission, it can be demonstrated that convictions about abortion change in face of graphic imagery. Because it does not overtly challenge current legislation, but instead decreases the number of abortions, it ought to be honoured by both parties. Under the protection of the first amendment, pro-life groups in America can freely share these images to encourage discussion. In Canada, ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘freedom of expression’ are often compromised in the face of adversity; conclusively the pro-life message is often silenced. Thus, by virtue of being able to share the reality of the procedure, Americans are leading in the race to eventually eradicate the perceived necessity of abortion.

Analysis of Recent Climatic Changes in the Arabian Gulf Region

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan A. Nasrallah ◽  
Robert C. Balling
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Face ◽  
Small Decline

Within the past few years, interest in climate change has increased dramatically in the face of the many apocalyptic predictions associated with the highly-popularized ‘greenhouse’ effect. Accordingly, scientists have produced many studies based on global, hemispheric, and regional, climatic data-bases. While most of the regional studies have been based on data from North America, Europe, and Australia, little research has been conducted in other areas of the world that have an equal (or greater) economic and climatic stake in the ‘greenhouse’ debate. In this investigation, we analyse the climatic records of the Arabian Gulf area in an attempt to identify recent changes that may or may not be related to any ‘greenhouse’ effects.The observed climate changes over the past century in the Arabian Gulf area include (a) an increase in temperature of 0.65°C, (b) warming in summer and little or no warming in winter, (c) no warming in the first 60 years of record but accelerated warming in the most recent 40 years, and (d) a small decline in precipitation. In many cases, the results are unlike those found in the analysis of Northern Hemispheric and/or global climate records. However, many of these observed climate changes in the Arabian Gulf area are broadly consistent with 2×CO2 predictions from various numerical climate models. We hope that the analyses presented in this investigation will aid decisionmakers in their difficult policymaking activities.

Epilogue

2019 ◽  
pp. 325-332
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Burns
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
First Century ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Minority Community ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Face ◽  
Catholic History ◽  
Social Message ◽  
Global World ◽  
The U.S

This chapter begins by reviewing the development of U.S. Catholic history over the past century and a half. It then argues that the authors in the present volume represent the next stage in U.S. Catholic historiography. They represent serious scholarship that is better integrated into the U.S. story. Today, U.S. Catholic historians find themselves in an interesting position—they are no longer part of a struggling, defensive minority community, but are still on the periphery. The Catholic Church now matters, sometimes. In the twenty-first century, historians will have to unpack the incredible complexity of a church that is both post-immigrant and still essentially immigrant; a church that consists of all social classes and political parties; and a church that continually struggles to apply and integrate its social message in the face of an increasingly disjointed yet global world.

scholarly journals Path dependency when prioritising disaster and humanitarian response under high levels of conflict: a qualitative case study in South Sudan

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Mena ◽  
Dorothea Hilhorst
Keyword(s):  
Political Process ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
Humanitarian Response ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Path Dependent ◽  
Priority Needs

AbstractIn high-conflict scenarios, humanitarian needs often surpass resources, and humanitarians are faced with ongoing challenges of whom to prioritise and where to work. This process is often referred to as ‘targeting’, but this article uses the concept of ‘triage’ to emphasise how prioritisation is a continuous and political process, rather than a one-off exercise to find the best match between needs and programme objectives. This study focused on South Sudan, exploring the formal and informal dynamics at the national, regional and local levels of humanitarian decisions. The article is based on semi-structured interviews and multiple meetings and observations of programmes over four months of fieldwork in 2017. This fieldwork was beset by many of the problems that humanitarians also encounter in their work, including complicated access, logistics difficulties and security challenges. Humanitarian action is meant to be flexibly deployed to respond to priority needs resulting from conflict or disasters, and agencies have multiple tools and policies to facilitate this. However, in reality, we find humanitarian action largely locked into path-dependent areas of intervention because agencies must rely on logistics, trust and local partners, all of which take years to develop, and because local actors’ commitment to see programmes continued.

XI. A Century of Rural Expansion in Assam, 1870-1970

Itinerario ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Richards ◽  
J. Hagen
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Plantation Economy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Frontier Region ◽  
The Face ◽  
Tea Production ◽  
British Colonial

The seven districts of present-day Assam state, comprising 7.8 million hectares (78,496 km2), lie in the valley of the Brahmaputra river in the extreme northeast of India. On the map they form an extended finger of riverine land pointing toward the mountain boundary. Assam has been a steadily developing frontier region since the middle decades of the nineteenth century. One arm of this development has been that of the plantation economy devoted to tea production in the highlands. British capital, British managers, and Indian coolie labor formed the essential elements in this growing export-oriented economy. From 1870 another settler-based frontier society emerged when peasant migrants from Bengal and ex-tea-laborers took up government-owned wastelands along the Brahmaputra and its tributaries to grow paddy rice. Together these two forces have transformed the face of the land and created a new society in Assam over the past century. The British colonial regime's policies generally favored the development and growth of both the estate and the smallholder sectors of Assam's economy. In this process the indigenous Assamese — whether peasant cultivators or tribal hill peoples — have faced immense pressures on their society and way of life. The purpose of this essay is to delineate the transformations in the land and the agricultural economy that accompanied this process in Assam.

Who is Jesus Now? Maxims and Surprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-235
Author(s):  
David F. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Gospel Of John ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Hans Frei ◽  
The Face ◽  
Scriptural Reasoning ◽  
Denise Levertov

This article is a very personal attempt, within the horizon opened up by the Prologue of the Gospel of John and the past century of Christian theology, to articulate seven maxims in answer to the question, Who is Jesus now? The maxims focus on the Gospel story, analogical thought and imagination, living before the face of Jesus, covenantal commitment, being sent as Jesus was sent, reconciliation, and continuing surprises. Key references are to the Gospel of John, Hans Frei, Frances Young, Richard Hays, David Tracy, Denise Levertov, and Jean Vanier, and to ecumenism and Scriptural Reasoning, which relates to all the maxims.

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