scholarly journals Overview of attacks against civilian infrastructure during the Syrian civil war, 2012–2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. e006384
Author(s):  
Evan Muzzall ◽  
Brian Perlman ◽  
Leonard S Rubenstein ◽  
Rohini J Haar
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Valuable Data ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Attack Data ◽  
Syrian Conflict ◽  
Cosine Distance

BackgroundHundreds of thousands of people have been killed during the Syrian civil war and millions more displaced along with an unconscionable amount of destroyed civilian infrastructure.MethodsWe aggregate attack data from Airwars, Physicians for Human Rights and the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition/Insecurity Insight to provide a summary of attacks against civilian infrastructure during the years 2012–2018. Specifically, we explore relationships between date of attack, governorate, perpetrator and weapon for 2689 attacks against five civilian infrastructure classes: healthcare, private, public, school and unknown. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) via squared cosine distance, k-means clustering of the MCA row coordinates, binomial lasso classification and Cramer’s V coefficients are used to produce and investigate these correlations.ResultsFrequencies and proportions of attacks against the civilian infrastructure classes by year, governorate, perpetrator and weapon are presented. MCA results identify variation along the first two dimensions for the variables year, governorate, perpetrator and healthcare infrastructure in four topics of interest: (1) Syrian government attacks against healthcare infrastructure, (2) US-led Coalition offensives in Raqqa in 2017, (3) Russian violence in Aleppo in 2016 and (4) airstrikes on non-healthcare infrastructure. These topics of interest are supported by results of the k-means clustering, binomial lasso classification and Cramer’s V coefficients.DiscussionFindings suggest that violence against healthcare infrastructure correlates strongly with specific perpetrators. We hope that the results of this study provide researchers with valuable data and insights that can be used in future analyses to better understand the Syrian conflict.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of mass treatment of Schistosoma mansoni infection in socially vulnerable areas of a state in northeastern Brazil, 2011–2014

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia Silvestre Outtes Wanderley ◽  
Ulisses Montarroyos ◽  
Cristine Bonfim ◽  
Carolina Cunha-Correia
Keyword(s):  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Mass Treatment ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Treatment Information

Abstract Background To assess the effectiveness of mass treatment of Schistosoma mansoni infection in socially vulnerable endemic areas in northeastern Brazil. Method An ecological study was conducted, in which 118 localities in 30 municipalities in the state of Pernambuco were screened before 2011 and in 2014 (after mass treatment). Information on the endemic baseline index, mass treatment coverage, socio-environmental conditions and social vulnerability index were used in the multiple correspondence analysis. One hundred fourteen thousand nine hundred eighty-seven people in 118 locations were examined. Results The first two dimensions of the multiple correspondence analysis represented 55.3% of the variability between locations. The human capital component of the social vulnerability index showed an association with the baseline endemicity index. There was a significant reduction in positivity for schistosomes. For two rounds, for every extra 1% of initial endemicity index, the fixed effect of 13.62% increased by 0.0003%, achieving at most 15.94%. Conclusions The mass treatment intervention helped to reduce transmission of schistosomiasis in areas of high endemicity. Thus, it can be recommended that application of mass treatment should be accompanied by other control actions, such as basic sanitation, monitoring of intermediate vectors and case surveillance.

scholarly journals Analysis of ineffective breathing pattern and impaired spontaneous ventilation of adults with oxygen therapy

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Hein Seganfredo ◽  
Beatriz Amorim Beltrão ◽  
Viviane Martins da Silva ◽  
Marcos Venícios de Oliveira Lopes ◽  
Stela Maris de Jezus Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Oxygen Therapy ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Breathing Pattern ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Latent Class Models ◽  
Spontaneous Ventilation ◽  
Nursing Diagnoses

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the manifestation of the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnoses of ineffective breathing pattern and impaired spontaneous ventilation, of the NANDA International and the defining characteristics identified in the literature for the concept of “ventilation” in adult patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit with use of oxygen therapy. Method: clinical diagnostic validation study, conducted with 626 patients in intensive care using oxygen therapy, in three different modalities. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to verify the discriminative capacity of the defining characteristics and latent class analysis to determine the diagnostic accuracy of them, based on the severity level defined by the ventilatory mode used. Results: in the multiple correspondence analysis, it was demonstrated that the majority of the defining characteristics presented low discriminative capacity and low percentage of explained variance for the two dimensions (diagnoses). Latent class models, separately adjusted for the two diagnoses, presented a worse fit, with sharing of some defining characteristics. Models adjusted by level of severity (ventilation mode) presented better fit and structure of the component defining characteristics. Conclusion: clinical evidence obtained in the present study seems to demonstrate that the set of defining characteristics of the two nursing diagnoses studied fit better in a single construct.

IDLIB, THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE SYRIAN CONFLICT

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1873-1877
Author(s):  
Blendi Lami
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Power Struggle ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
The South ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Military Presence ◽  
Take Back ◽  
The One ◽  
Syrian Conflict

After seven years of conflict, the future of the Syrian civil war may come down to the battle for Idlib. Syrian leader Bashar Assad has already taken back control of much of the country, and this northwestern province is the last remaining rebel stronghold. But taking back Idlib won’t be easy. In fact, it’ll be harder and more complicated than many of the other recent campaigns in the south for two reasons. First, it is a much larger region than the areas in the south, such as Daraa, Eastern Ghouta and Quneitra, that the Syrian army seized in recent months. It is, therefore, also more heavily populated with rebels, in part because many of the cease-fires brokered by Russia in the south allowed rebels safe passage out of these areas and into Idlib. Second, Turkey has a military presence in Idlib. This complicates the situation for all parties involved because Turkey and the Syrian regime have conflicting interests in this region. Russia supports the regime but doesn’t want to go to war with Turkey, a country with which it needs to maintain good relations. For this reason, the Syrians are afraid the Russians may abandon them. Meanwhile, Turkey wants room to maneuver in relation to the U.S., and having hostile relations with Russia would limit its options. A battle over Idlib would therefore pose a threat to all parties involved in the conflict. In the wider power struggle among countries in this war, Idlib may be little more than a distraction, but it’s a dangerous one. Winning a military battle here may cost far more than anyone is prepared to pay. This article will consider another option: a deal among these countries to oust the rebel group that controls much of the province. All of these parties have an interest in eliminating this group – one of the most extreme in Idlib – and so it’s the one area where they can cooperate. For now, though, the most likely next phase in Idlib and the Syrian civil war is a concerted effort to eliminate HTS (and its offshoots like Hurras al-Din), and an acceptance of a more permanent Turkish presence in northwest Syria. A deal to eliminate HTC would, therefore, be in the interest of all these parties. But it could break down in two ways. The first would be through insurgent groups’ refusal to accept Turkish control. The second possible breakdown would involve Assad making moves to take back control of Idlib. This would, however, largely depend on how much support the regime could count on from its other stalwart ally, Iran. A solution to the struggle over this pocket of the country is less important than the relations among the big players in this war. It would therefore have to involve some sort of balance among them, perhaps with intermittent and indecisive small-scale combat but without a full-blooded attempt to win. They may not get everything they want out of such a deal, but they will all benefit in some way. And at this point, that may be the best they can hope for.

scholarly journals International Law and Humanitarian Intervention in the Syrian Civil War: The Role of the United States

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402091953
Author(s):  
Oluwaseyi Emmanuel Ogunnowo ◽  
Felix Chidozie
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Syrian Conflict

This article interrogates the legality of American interventions in the Syrian conflict. The Syrian civil war stands as one of the most controversial conflicts of the 21st century, owing to the mass destruction of lives and properties and the multiplicity of interventions which have created numerous strands of the conflict. The United States as one of the intervening powers has shown support for the rebel forces geared at toppling the Assad government. The research adopts the qualitative method and utilizes the case study research design. The research makes use of secondary data as derived from academic journals, books, book chapters, newspapers, and so on and analyzes these data through the use of thematic analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the interventions of the United States are not legal. The study also finds that the United States possesses certain strategic interests in the Syrian conflict which it aims to achieve.

scholarly journals Rhetoric of civil conflict management: United Nations Security Council debates over the Syrian civil war

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 205316801770298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juraj Medzihorsky ◽  
Milos Popovic ◽  
Erin K. Jenne
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Civil Conflict ◽  
United Nations Security Council ◽  
Responsibility To Protect ◽  
Human Rights Violations ◽  
Major Power ◽  
Syrian Civil War

This paper introduces a spatial model of civil conflict management rhetoric to explore how the emerging norm of responsibility to protect shapes major power rhetorical responses to civil war. Using framing theory, we argue that responsibility to protect functions like a prescriptive norm, such that representing a conflict as one of (1) human rights violations (problem definition), implies rhetorical support for (2) coercive outside intervention (solution identification). These dimensions reflect the problem-solution form of a prescriptive norm. Using dictionary scaling with a dynamic model, we analyze the positions of UN Security Council members in debates over the Syrian Civil War separately for each dimension. We find that the permanent members who emphasized human rights violations also used intervention rhetoric (UK, France, and the US), and those who did not used non-intervention rhetoric (Russia and China). We conclude that, while not a fully consolidated norm, responsibility to protect appears to have structured major power rhetorical responses to the Syrian Civil War.

Does realism explain the Arab Spring? Neorealist alliance formation theories and the Syrian civil war

2021 ◽  
pp. 002070202110215
Author(s):  
Mohammed Nuruzzaman
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Alliance Formation ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Syrian Conflict ◽  
The Arab Spring

Dominant International Relations theories—realism/neorealism, liberalism/neoliberalism, and constructivism—have so far developed no rigorous theoretical attempts to interpret the Arab Spring, though some marginal efforts have been made to critique the failure of realism to interpret this historical development. This article presents a neorealist interpretation of the Arab Spring focusing on the Syrian civil war, where conflicts between the pro- and anti-status quo forces have unfolded in alignments and counter-alignments centering around rival domestic and external groups. To explain the involvements of rival alliances in the post-2011 Syrian conflict, namely, the United States–Saudi Arabia–Israel alliance and the Russia–Iran–Syria alliance, this analysis employs neorealist theories of alliance formation—the balance of power and balance of threat theories—as articulated by Kenneth Waltz and Stephen Walt, respectively. The dynamics of these formations in Syria lend more support to Walt’s theory that states balance against threats rather than against power. The complex nature and dynamics of the Syrian war, however, calls for refinements of Walt’s balance of threat theory. Accordingly, the article also explores various refinements of Walt’s theory to better explain future complex civil wars involving highly polarized domestic and external parties.

scholarly journals (Op-Ed) Europe’s great challenge: Integrating Syrian refugees

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto F. L. Amaral ◽  
Mahlet A. Woldetsadik ◽  
Gabriela Armenta
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Syrian Conflict

Since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, over 6.1 million Syrians have been internally displaced, while an estimated 5.6 million more have fled the country. Within the European Union (EU), close to 1 million of these refugees have requested asylum in different countries, with Germany being the primary destination. Given that the Syrian conflict has already lasted for seven years, and with no short-term solution in sight, a strategy that addresses the evolving long-term issues of refugees in their host countries is essential.

The Israeli-Syrian Conflict, 1973–2019

2020 ◽  
pp. 192-208
Author(s):  
Jerome Slater
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Military Leaders ◽  
Prime Ministers ◽  
Peace Agreements ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Syrian Conflict

Israel is largely responsible for the Israeli-Syrian conflict. Before the 1948 war, Israel rejected opportunities to reach peace agreements with moderate Syrian monarchs or military governments, because they would have required the end of Israeli expansionist goals focusing on the Golan Heights. Syria’s participation in the 1967 and 1973 wars was partly the intended result of Israeli military provocations designed to give Israel the pretext to seize the area. Since then. the Hafez and Bassar Assad monarchies have repeatedly offered to end the conflict, provided Israel returned the Golan. While several Israeli prime ministers and top military leaders believed Israel’security would be enhanced by such a deal, the negotiations collapsed when the Israeli prime ministers, fearing a rightwing domestic backlash, on the verge of an agreement backed away. For the foreseeable future, the Syrian civil war, together with Israel’s annexation of the Golan, has ended the prospect for a peace agreement.

An Economic and Social Assessment of the Syrian Civil War

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Viorela-Beatrice Iacovoiu ◽  
Mirela Panait ◽  
Alexandru-Cristian Enache
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Oil Fields ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Displaced People ◽  
The Government ◽  
Syrian Conflict

Starting from the theories and studies on armed conflicts and in particular civil wars, and based on relevant figures, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the Syrian Civil War. The Syrian conflict developed into a civil war with a sectarian dimension and has lasted longer mostly because of major powers, as well as some Middle Eastern countries that were directly and actively involved in the conflict, supporting the government forces or rebel groups. According to the analysed data, the war deeply affected the Syrian economy and its citizens due to the loss of governmental control over oil fields, the destruction of infrastructure and households, and the great number of forcibly displaced people and casualties. At the same time, the Syrian Civil War created great opportunities for arms-producing companies to sell their products without cutting off profits. Thus, the conclusion is that there is no benefit to war except for those who profit of it, namely the countries as well as the arms manufacturers that use conflicts as a proxy to promote their interests.

U.S.-Russian Agreements on Syria Break Down as the Syrian Conflict Continues

2017 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-181 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil War ◽  
The United States ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Syrian Conflict ◽  
Political Settlement

Starting in February 2016, the United States and Russia reached a series of agreements aimed at establishing a cessation of hostilities in the Syrian civil war and facilitating a political settlement of the underlying conflict. Although the agreements showed initial promise, various breakdowns led the United States to suspend bilateral communications with Russia regarding maintenance of the agreements by October 2016.

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