Growing Up in the Twenty-First Century

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Hamburg ◽  
Beatrix A. Hamburg
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Global Era ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
System P ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Global World

During the twentieth century, within only a moment of evolutionary time, human ingenuity has produced an unprecedented vast increase in the destructive power of the human species. It is now possible to inflict immense damage on almost all countries everywhere and pose the threat of annihilation of the entire world. Shortly, there will be no part of the earth so remote that a committed group cannot do immense damage to itself and others far away. The events of September 11, 2001, in New York,Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania have made this clear. Like it or not, conflicts have become everyone’s business. The idea that countries and people should be free to conduct their quarrels on their own terms, no matter how deadly, is outmoded in the nuclear age and in a global world where local hostilities can rapidly become international ones with devastating consequences. Similarly, the notion that tyrants are free to commit atrocities on their own peoples is becoming obsolete, albeit with plenty of resistance. Today, the human species is engaged in an increasingly dangerous proliferation of lethal weaponry, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction, as well as the worldwide, wall-to-wall spread of deadly small arms. At the same time, in all parts of the world, we also see evidence of abundant prejudice, hatred, and threats of mass violence. Sadly, the historical record is full of every sort of slaughter based on invidious distinctions of religion, ethnicity, nationality, and other perceived group differences. This record confirms a part of our unique human heritage, one that we will address in more depth in the pages to follow as we seek to learn lessons from our past and search to find ways of overcoming human predispositions to violence in a technological and global era. In a contemporary world full of hatred and violence, widespread knowledge and understanding of deadly conflicts past and present, as well as paths to conflict resolution and prevention of deadly conflict, are an urgent agenda. Such an agenda deserves major educational efforts—not only in schools and universities, but also in community organizations, religious institutions, the media, and the public health system.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Face Masks in Reducing the Spread of COVID-19: A Model-Based Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 0272989X2110190
Author(s):  
Isabelle J. Rao ◽  
Jacqueline J. Vallon ◽  
Margaret L. Brandeau
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Infected Individual ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Mask Effectiveness

Background The World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that both infected and susceptible people wear face masks to protect against COVID-19. Methods We develop a dynamic disease model to assess the effectiveness of face masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19, during an initial outbreak and a later resurgence, as a function of mask effectiveness, coverage, intervention timing, and time horizon. We instantiate the model for the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, with sensitivity analyses on key natural history parameters. Results During the initial epidemic outbreak, with no social distancing, only 100% coverage of masks with high effectiveness can reduce the effective reproductive number [Formula: see text] below 1. During a resurgence, with lowered transmission rates due to social distancing measures, masks with medium effectiveness at 80% coverage can reduce [Formula: see text] below 1 but cannot do so if individuals relax social distancing efforts. Full mask coverage could significantly improve outcomes during a resurgence: with social distancing, masks with at least medium effectiveness could reduce [Formula: see text] below 1 and avert almost all infections, even with intervention fatigue. For coverage levels below 100%, prioritizing masks that reduce the risk of an infected individual from spreading the infection rather than the risk of a susceptible individual from getting infected yields the greatest benefit. Limitations Data regarding COVID-19 transmission are uncertain, and empirical evidence on mask effectiveness is limited. Our analyses assume homogeneous mixing, providing an upper bound on mask effectiveness. Conclusions Even moderately effective face masks can play a role in reducing the spread of COVID-19, particularly with full coverage, but should be combined with social distancing measures to reduce [Formula: see text] below 1. [Box: see text]

Recent Literature on Sanctions - Iraq Under Siege: The Deadly Impact of Sanctions and War, Anthony Arnove, ed. (Cambridge, Mass.: South End Press, 2000), 216 pp., $40 cloth, $16 paper. - “The Effect of Iraqi Sanctions: Statistical Pitfalls and Responsibility,” Amatzia Baram, Middle East Journal 54 (Spring2000), pp. 194–223. - United Nations Sanctions Management: A Case Study of the Iraq Sanctions Committee, 1990–1994, Paul Conlon (Ardsley, N.Y.: Transnational Publishers, 2000), 350 pp., $115 cloth. - Iraq and the War of Sanctions: Conventional Threats and Weapons of Mass Destruction, Anthony H. Cordesman (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1999), 712 pp., $75 cloth. - The Sanctions Decade: Assessing UN Strategies in the 1990s, David Cortright and George A. Lopez, eds. (Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000), 274 pp., $17.95 paper. - The Sanctions Paradox: Economic Statecraft and International Relations, Daniel W. Drezner (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 362 pp., $59.95 cloth, $24.95 paper. - Sanctioning Saddam: The Politics of Intervention in Iraq, Sarah Graham-Brown (London: I. B. Tauris, 1999), 400 pp., $35 cloth. - Economic Sanctions and American Diplomacy, Richard N. Haass, ed. (New York: Council on Foreign Relations Books, 1998), 220 pp., $17.95 paper. - Honey and Vinegar: Incentives, Sanctions, and Foreign Policy, Richard N. Haass and Meghan L. O'Sullivan, eds. (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2000), 168 pp., $39.95 cloth, $16.95 paper.

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-192
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Foreign Relations ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Brookings Institution ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Economic Statecraft

Vincent Noce, La Collection Egoiste (The Selfish Collector)

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-119
Author(s):  
Lyndel V. Prott
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York Times ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
The Family ◽  
Almost All

Vincent Noce, La Collection Egoiste (The Selfish Collector) pp. 328. J. C. Lattès, Paris, 2005. ISBN 2-7096-241-9.Few people who follow cases relating to the illicit trade can have missed the celebrated case of Stéfane Breitwieser, the Alsatian misfit who stole, over a period of 8 or so years, hundreds of objects from museums and churches to squirrel away in his attic rooms, or that of his mother Mireille Stengel, who destroyed almost all of it by disposal in the family garbage bin or by throwing it into a canal. This book, however, shows just how much a dedicated investigative journalist can add to the record, details that are not only useful in trying to understand the mentality of Breitwieser (by no means an isolated case as this account shows) and even more useful in showing the loopholes in the investigations, the lack of coordination between countries, and the sheer ineptitude of many institutions in securing their collections. Noce, editor of the cultural section of the French newspaper Libération, has joined the select company of Karl Meyer (articles in the New York Times) and Peter Watson who have added greatly to our knowledge of how the illicit trade works. French journalists, too, are greatly helping expose the unsavory details of these activities (see Noce's previous book Descente aux Enchères and that of Emmanuel de Roux and Roland-Pierre Paringaud, Razzia sur L'art).

scholarly journals Weapons of Mass Destruction and Modern Terrorism: Implications for Global Security

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
O. Ike Okoro ◽  
Nduka Lucas Oluka
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Al Qaeda ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Operational Mode ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Counter Measures ◽  
Terrorist Groups ◽  
State Actors

The hazard of biological, chemical and nuclear materials, regarded as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), intercalating the arsenal of terrorists is the biggest crime and challenge against humanity. Every such crime and challenge ought to be named appropriately; and state actors experiencing such owe it to their citizens to act speedily and with certainty against terrorists. Even with the on-going war on terrorism, there has been a surge in terrorist activities in some parts of the world. Terrorists in our contemporary age have also embraced startling trends in their operational mode since the 11 September 2001 fanatic attacks in New York and Washington D. C. The devastating effect of these twin attacks has raised global concern about the potential use of WMD by Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS), and their affiliate groups. One major issue of great concern in recent times, apart from the propensity of the terrorist organizations to acquire WMD, is the involvement of state actors that secretly acquire or claim to have acquired them for the purposes of electricity generation. Notably, too, is the trend in modern scientific and technological improvement which has increased the nature of, and access to, WMD. This research, therefore, attempts to access the implication and impact of WMD as terrorists put them to use. The study also examines the concept of terrorism and WMD. Also examined is the general implication of the use of WMD and the challenges this might pose to the international community, considering the current trends in their acquisition by some states and non-state actors. The investigation suggests appropriate counter-measures to thwart terrorists’ effort to acquire WMD. The study also adopted the qualitative approach of research to analyse the sophistication adopted by new terrorist groups particularly by the ISIS terrorist network; the al-Qaeda group and other splinter groups. Thus, historical research is most appropriate for this study, and secondary source of data was adopted as its methodology.

scholarly journals El reto de la prevención del blanqueo de capitales en un mundo globalizado

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Antonio Mateos Martín
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Collateral Damage ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Macroeconomic Impact ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Drug Traffic ◽  
Global World ◽  
Medios De Comunicacion

El blanqueo de capitales es uno de los fenómenos de mayor impacto social del mundo contemporáneo. Esta repercusión social es debida, en parte, al ruido mediático del que se hacen eco diariamente los medios de comunicación mundial y a la repercusión económica que tiene este fenómeno en las economías mundiales, minando el amplio abanico que va desde las cuentas de un Estado, hasta la moral individual de las personas, o lo que es lo mismo, afectando tanto a aspectos macroeconómicos como a los microeconómicos. Desde que en los años 80, y unido al tráfico de estupefacientes comenzó a considerarse un problema para los Estados, el blanqueo de capitales ha sido tratado de diversas formas. En un principio se le consideró como un daño colateral, sin dotarle de la capacidad destructiva que verdaderamente tiene, siendo en los últimos veinte años cuando se le ha considerado como una verdadera amenaza para el orden económico establecido. A partir de ese momento un enjambre de leyes, resoluciones, órdenes, instrucciones, etc, emanan de los poderes legislativos de los Estados, que viéndose superados, en muchas ocasiones por sus fronteras físicas y por las facilidades de la globalización, intentan acordar la mejor manera de combatir, con una sola voz, este fenómeno delictivo.The impact of money laundering in the contemporary world is impressive. In part, media attention has contributed to this impact since world media informs on a daily basis of money laundering cases; at the same time, its economic impact plays a role in the relevance citizens put in this phenomenon. It affects the State accounts as well as the individual well-being of particular subjetcs, not to mention its macroeconomic impact. Money laundering has been treated, together with drug traffic, since the early eighties as a problem for the individual State. At first it was considered a collateral damage, without realizing the really destructive capacity it holds. In the last twenty years its dangers have been realized and a constellation of laws, resolutions, instructions, etc, have been produced by the States. But Status are oftenly unable to fight a phenomenon that trascends fisical borders in a global world.

scholarly journals Fuller’s theory of war and the changes in the concepts of warfare in the second half of XX century: The rise of "creative" war

Sociologija ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-148
Author(s):  
Nada Sekulic
Keyword(s):  
Contemporary World ◽  
Political Background ◽  
Economic Elites ◽  
Theory Of War ◽  
Military Politics ◽  
Civil Sector ◽  
Global World ◽  
Scholarly Discourse ◽  
Military Structure ◽  
The Military

Current scientific and scholarly discourse on war, which represents the legitimate knowledge and theory on war today, has been narrowed to the topics and issues related to war doctrine and technology of war. It has become reserved for the privileged ?green collars?, highly skilled professionals and officers inside the military structure, which act in cooperation with the political and economic elites, forming the triumvirate of power in contemporary world. The opportunities for civil critique of military politics and strategies of wars have been decreased enormously, in spite of the fact that contemporary wars have spread deeply into the civil sector of society. By looking into the social context and political background of the knowledge reserved for the military experts, we can develop insights into the process of the ideological framing of wars today, marked by naturalization and purposeful interpretations of wars, as if they are fought in the name of democratization of global world. At the same time, the image of the importance of human factor in war has been decreased, as much as responsibility for causalities. Citizens have been pacified for the silent acceptance of military politics promoted in their countries.

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