scholarly journals The grand return of the troops

Intersections ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-156
Author(s):  
Weronika Grzebalska ◽  
Zuzana Maďarová
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
Military Band ◽  
Domestic Assistance

The aim of this paper is to fill the geographical gap in the literature about the militarization of COVID-19 through a comparative exploration of how the pandemic was handled in militarized ways in Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Drawing from official government and military statements, media articles, and expert interviews with defense intellectuals, we examine two interconnected areas – that of discourse and that of military domestic assistance. By viewing the developments through the lens of militarization and military-society relations scholarship, we argue that rather than serving as a ‘portal’ for civilian resilience, the pandemic constituted an unprecedented ‘return of the troops’ to Visegrad states and societies in terms of its size, scope, and duration, thus strengthening the pressure for re-militarization in the region that has been recorded in the last decade. The paper presents a number of analytical findings: first, it identifies the emerging gap between right-wing populist rhetoric that relied on warspeak and the human-centered communication of the armed forces; second, it reveals that military domestic assistance functioned as a military ‘band aid’ on systemic vulnerabilities, as well as incidentally converged with illiberal patterns of governance; third, it shows how the pandemic aided re-militarizing pressures, resulting in a significant boost to the defense sector, a positive public opinion about the armed forces, and military-society relations.

Optimizing the Introduction of Wearable Sensors Into the German Armed Forces for Military Medical Applications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenz Scheit
Keyword(s):  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Medical Applications ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
German Armed Forces ◽  
Expert Interview ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Master's Thesis ◽  
Interdisciplinary Networking ◽  
Modern Technologies

ABSTRACT Introduction A wide variety of different types of wearable sensors are being developed around the world and introduced into the armed forces for military purposes. Competing states must rapidly develop ready-to-use systems that are robust, functional, valid, and practical. There appears to be potential for optimizing the successful and effective introduction of wearable sensors into the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) for military medical applications. The purpose of this study was to identify specific options for improving and optimizing the introduction of modern technologies such as wearable sensors into the structures of the German armed forces. Materials and Methods Nine stakeholders were identified who could provide a qualified statement on the introduction of wearable sensors, of which six agreed to participate in an expert interview. The six qualitative expert interviews, which were conducted for a master’s thesis at the Bundeswehr University in Hamburg, were selected on the basis of their thematic involvement and readiness for an interview and provided the basis for exploring processes that can possibly optimize the introduction of wearable sensors into modern armed forces such as the Bundeswehr. These interviews were carried out and analyzed using the Lamnek’s method. Results Six expert interviews were analyzed and the most relevant statements were summarized and presented. Thirteen options for optimization were identified and included, for example, interdisciplinary networking, optimization of information flow, and strategic weighting. Conclusions Several potential options have been identified that can optimize the introduction of wearable sensors into the German armed forces to a greater or lesser extent. Bundeswehr experts agree that above all structurally relevant improvements such as “development of data analysis standards,” “legal requirements,” “interdisciplinarity,” “acceleration of development,” and “centralization and structured cooperation” should play an important role in the implementation of wearable sensors.

Society–Military Relations in a State-in-the-Making

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillel Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Armed Struggle ◽  
Islamic Movement ◽  
Palestinian Society ◽  
Military Relations

The participation of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA’s) security agencies in the armed struggle against Israel in the second Palestinian uprising (2000–2005) is analyzed in this article as a response to the demand of Palestinian society, thus as a unique case of armed forces which, in the lack of political directive, became more attentive to public opinion. The article shows how Palestinian public discourse in the late 1990s–early 2000s, that was shaped by the Islamic movement of Hamas, portrayed the PA’s security officials as traitors. Members of the PA security agencies (mainly Fatah members) sought to reposition themselves in the “national camp,” and this motivated them to raise their weapons against Israeli targets. By doing so, they also removed the mental burden of turning their weapons against fellow Palestinians that was one of the major sources for their image as collaborators.

scholarly journals LEFT, RIGHT, AND ANTISEMITISM IN EUROPEAN PUBLIC OPINION

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-371
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Е. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
European Public ◽  
Mass Publics ◽  
Right Wing Populism

Antisemitism has long been found on both the political far-right and farleft. The recent rise in antisemitism worldwide raises the question of whether current antisemitism is found more with the far-right or far-left, the former a function of right-wing populism and the latter with what has been termed the new antisemitism. This paper uses data from the 2014 round of the European Social Survey in 20 nations to test for the connection between ideological selfplacement and antisemitic attitudes in mass publics. Analysis finds greater levels of antisemitism with the extreme far-right compared to the far-left, but extreme leftists appear slightly more antisemitic than moderate leftist. Further, there is less antisemitism than anti-Muslim and anti-Roma (Gypsy) attitudes at all positions on the left-right continuum. The conclusion puts the findings into context and suggests directions for future research.

An anti-migration campaign and its impact on public opinion: The Hungarian case

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 619-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Péter Bajomi-Lázár
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Middle East ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Political Behaviour ◽  
Communication Campaign ◽  
Media Pluralism ◽  
Hungarian Case ◽  
Southern Border ◽  
Target Country

During the 2015 migration wave, Hungary was a transit, rather than a target, country for migrants fleeing from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe. In reaction to this, Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist government built a wall on the country’s southern border and launched an anti-migration communication campaign, portraying itself as the saviour of European, Hungarian and Christian values. This article reconstructs the messages and effects of this campaign. It finds that in a context of limited political and media pluralism, an anti-migration campaign may exert a significant impact on public opinion and political behaviour.

Right-wing Bias in Journalists’ Perceptions of Public Opinion

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Beckers ◽  
Stefaan Walgrave ◽  
Hanna Valerie Wolf ◽  
Kenza Lamot ◽  
Peter Van Aelst
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Right Wing

Effective strategic narratives? Italian public opinion and military operations in Iraq, Libya, and Lebanon

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Coticchia
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Public Opinion Surveys ◽  
Strategic Narratives ◽  
The Military

Public attitudes are greatly shaped by the cohesiveness of the strategic narratives crafted by policy-makers in framing the national involvement in war. The literature has recently devoted growing attention toward the features that define successful strategic narratives, such as a consistent set of objectives, convincing cause–effect chains, as well as credible promises of success. This paper provides an original framework for ‘effective strategic narratives’ for the case of Italy. The military operations undertaken by Italian armed forces in Iraq, Lebanon, and Libya represent the cases through which the framework is assessed. Drawing on content and discourse analysis of political debates and data provided by public opinion surveys, this paper explores the nature of the strategic narratives and their effectiveness.

scholarly journals From Pariahs to Patriots: Canadian Communists and the Second World War

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Frazer
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Second World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Royal Canadian Mounted Police ◽  
Mackenzie King ◽  
Communist Party Of Canada ◽  
Second World

Official anti-communist policies, adopted by the Mackenzie King government during the Second World War, were only partially effective. These policies were implemented by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and the armed forces high command, and included internment, banning the Communist Party of Canada (cpc), and monitoring communists in the armed forces. These policies, however, were thwarted by the logic of the war, as well as by opposition from liberal public opinion and the communists themselves.

Swedish and British Public Opinion of the Armed Forces after a Decade of War

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joakim Berndtsson ◽  
Christopher Dandeker ◽  
Karl Ydén
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Armed Forces

French labour reform may be watered down further

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Promotional Campaign ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Right

Significance The draft law was presented by Labour Minister Myriam El Khomry in late February and aims at introducing more flexibility in France's rigid labour market. The government has led a promotional campaign in favour of the reform, against a backdrop of opposition from trade unions, students and public opinion. Valls has watered down the most controversial proposals but even in its current state the proposed reform would be a significant step forward. Impacts The government will need to assemble a diverse majority spanning the centre-left to the centre-right in order to pass the draft law by July. Reformist trade unions support the revised version of the law but more militant unions maintain their opposition. The right wing and the main employer association oppose the revised draft which they consider not favourable enough to companies.

scholarly journals Rally 'round the Barracks. Version1.1 (July 6th 2021)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Villamil ◽  
Stuart James Turnbull-Dugarte ◽  
José Rama
Keyword(s):  
Military Personnel ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Radical Right ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Knowl Edge ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Military Facilities ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Relationship

Literature on the determinants of far-right support has increased markedlyduring the last few years, expanding our knowledge on who votes for these par-ties. Little is known, however, about the relationship being a member of the mil-itary and voting for the far-right. Recent scandals within the armed forces ofsome developed democracies underscore this gap. In this paper, we argue thatthere is an ideological affinity between the military and far-right parties based onshared values over nationalism and authoritarianism. We use two distinct empir-ical strategies to test this argument in Spain. First, we pool together data fromseveral survey rounds to show that individual military personnel are significantlymore prone to support Spain’s new populist radical right-wing party, VOX. Sec-ond, we show that the location of military facilities across Spain is linked to highersupport for VOX. Using spatial statistics, we show evidence of a diffusion effect.Our findings are relevant to both the literature on far-right support and our knowl-edge of civil-military relationships.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document