The Politics and Diplomacy of Neutrality

This article discusses the diplomacy and foreign policy of neutral actors in international relations. It introduces popular research themes of neutrality studies and presents some of the relevant literature. Neutrality has been most profoundly developed, studied, and defined under international law. However, there are other dimensions to it like politics, ethics, norms, identity, and security under which it remains a relatively fuzzy concept. The Finnish president, Urho Kekkonen, once explained it best: “There are as many kinds of neutrality as there are neutral states.” That is because the concept has diplomatic implications that do not stem directly from a country’s abstention from conflicts, but rather from strategic or ideational factors like the normative self-conceptualizations of peoples living in neutral countries and the political choices they make. In this respect, much research on the motivations and development of individual neutralities has been conducted over the years, including case studies, comparative works, theoretical treaties, and general histories. The focus of this article lies on the development of the concept since the maritime and Great Power neutralities of the 18th century. In particular, it covers the major literature of the past one hundred years, during which neutrality in the classic sense of international law underwent several changes and new forms of the neutral idea emerged in the form of nonalignment and neutralism. Furthermore, neutrality also has a place in the history of international organizations like the United Nations or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and humanitarian institutions like the International Committee of the Red Cross. Therefore, this article understands “diplomacy” in a loose sense, including the foreign policies of states and the international political approaches of non-state actors alike. It defines “neutrality” as an actor’s military noninvolvement in third-party conflicts, especially in interstate wars. Hence, neutral diplomacy refers to the coordinated activities of international actors who remain—or try to remain—at a distance from third-party conflicts. The article does not cover technical understandings of neutrality that do not refer to a subject’s exclusion from conflicts but to different principles. For instance, “net-neutrality,” refers to the non-discrimination of Internet access speeds, not to the Internet’s exclusion from conflicts, and will not be covered in this analysis.

The Role and Activities of the Hellenic Red Cross During the First Five Years of the Economic Crisis in Greece (2010-2014)—A Retrospective Study

Aim. To investigate the contribution of the Hellenic Red Cross to the Greek Society during the first five and more severe years (2010-2014) of the profound financial crisis in Greece. Material And Methods. We retrospectively investigated the actions and contribution of the Hellenic Red Cross for the aforementioned five-year period. The research material was accumulated by research in the Internet, the archives, and the official webpage of the Hellenic Red Cross (Google, official web page of the ICRC and IFRC), from the Hellenic Ministry of Health and the Hellenic Ministry of Immigration and Asylum. Results. A huge amount of over 247 actions were detected for the research period. More than 17,708 people were examined and treated from the specialized medical personnel of the Hellenic Red Cross and 3,266 individuals were trained in basic first aid and hygiene. The final amount of 297,757€ were donated and 5,880 welfare packages were delivered. Conclusions. The current study has concluded that the contribution of the Hellenic Red Cross to the Greek society during the most severe phase of the recent financial crisis was outstanding and consists an example for any other Non-Governmental, Non for Profit Organizations in the future.

Haiti: The Development of “Seamless” Assistance from Disaster Relief to UNPKOs

In this chapter, we will examine Japan’s response to a complex crisis in Haiti, in which a natural disaster and civil unrest were compounded. Persistent insecurity and confusion in Haiti, albeit under the presence of an ongoing United Nations Peacekeeping Operation (UNPKO), further deteriorated after the great earthquake in 2010. This challenge unexpectedly propelled Japan’s move toward closer “integration,” since several layers of civil-military cooperation rapidly developed to cope with the complicated emergency in post-earthquake Haiti. First, the Government of Japan (GoJ) deployed a civilian medical team and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) emergency medical assistance unit (hereafter, the SDF medical unit) under the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Act. Following the SDF medical unit’s JDR work, the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) carried on with medical assistance. Second, once emergency medical support ended, an SDF contingent was dispatched under the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) Act. The Japan Engineering Groups’ (JEG’s) engagement in reconstruction served as a useful opportunity for the GoJ to refine the “All Japan” approach, further encouraging Japan’s inclination toward “integration.” Meanwhile, the experience in Haiti shed light on the gap in the legal assumptions between the JDR Act and the PKO Act, since neither of them anticipated the protection of civil JDR teams in insecurity.

Geotechnical Management of Isolated Sustainable Alpine Communities

The Albanian Alps are situated in a mountainous block in the Northern Albania region, in the counties of Shkodër (also known as Shkodra or Gegëria) and Kukës (Kukësi). The nature of the mountainous terrain formation has led to the creation of isolated communities. The need for integrating these scattered communities into a cohesive co-operating community for area sustainability is now possible by using the Internet to link them all onto an online system. To deal with natural catastrophes, disaster management cells will be created which will serve as hubs. These hubs will be located at geographically strategic positions that will enable a predetermined geofenced region for evaluation of different disasters viz. forest fires, landslide, flooding, avalanches, the burial of villages under heavy snowfalls, etc. These cells will connect the particular case with the most appropriate disaster relief, rescue service and EMR (Emergency Medical Responder), first aid services (e.g. Green Crescent/Red Cross) and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) personnel. The cells shall be managed by locally trained human resources with the necessary equipment to provide the monitoring/analyses and first aid assistance in case of need. The technology needed for the monitoring and geotechnical management of the isolated Alpine communities will be described. The socio-economic impact of the deployment of these technologies aiding in the sustainability of these vulnerable communities will conclude the research.

Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia and infection; analysis of total national utilisation data in Australia 2008-2013

Objectives To analyse total national utilisation of immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement therapy (IgRT) for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia patients with acquired hypogammaglobulinaemia and severe and/or recurrent bacterial infections. Methods In 2007, the National Blood Authority first published Criteria for the clinical use of intravenous immunoglobulin in Australia. The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood assessed, approved, and recorded all supply with patient demographics, distribution data, intravenous Ig (IVIg) volumes and treatment episodes. IVIg was the sole product used in Australia from 2008-2013 inclusive. Results From 2008-2013 across Australia, 2,734 individual CLL patients received 48,870 treatment episodes using a total 1,324,926 grams of IVIg therapy. Six IVIg products were available, with domestically manufactured Intragam P accounting for 89.7% of supply. The average age for first dose was 74 years. Males received 60.6% of the total treatment episodes representing 20% more than females. The average pre-treatment IgG level was 4.03g/L +/- 2.03g/L (range 0.30-10.50g/L). A sustained average annual increased IVIg utilisation of 5.5% was observed. There was significant regional variation consistent with differences in prescriber preferences across states and territories. Conclusion This study provides a globally unique insight into IgRT supply and demand in CLL patients by analysis of total national use in Australia over a six year period.

Training of volunteer nurses during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939): A historical study

Background The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) is an example of a historic event involving nurses, with the participation of professional and volunteer nurses from Spain and other countries. In this context, nurses were trained over short periods of time and recruited to work at hospitals serving the two warring camps. Objectives To identify the characteristics of the training received by volunteer nurses on both sides in the Spanish Civil War and compare it with previous experiences in the history. Design Historical research. Methods Heuristic and hermeneutical analysis of nurse training manuals and news articles from 1936 to 1939. Spanish primary sources were consulted at the Red Cross Documentation Centre Archive in Madrid, the General Military Archive in Ávila, the Municipal Newspaper Archive in Madrid, and the archives of Spanish daily newspapers ABC and La Vanguardia. The following variables were analysed: duration, entry requirements, and theoretical content of the training courses. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) has been used. Findings Both sides in the conflict offered a varied training programme, which was supported by official institutions and private initiatives. The courses lasted between one week and two months. Entry requirements were influenced by education level, age, moral conduct, health status, and social and political background. Training content focused on the techniques needed in conflict settings and covered specific moral values. Conclusions Despite the different social and political characteristics of the two warring factions, the variety of training programmes on offer, the entry requirements, and the theoretical content of volunteer nurse training were similar on both sides. At the end of the Spanish Civil War, volunteer nurses on the Republican side suffered reprisals or had to go into exile. We now know that some countries involved in World War II provided training courses for volunteer nurses. It would therefore be interesting to ascertain whether Spanish volunteer nurses contributed their experience to these courses.

Hasil Prevalensi Sifilis Reaktif Metode Chlia dalam Donor Darah UDD PMI Lombok Barat

Background: Syphilis is a chronic and systematic disease caused by Treponema Pallidum. Syphilis transmission through sexual intercourse, can also occur vertivally ftom mother to fetus in the womb or at birt, through blood products and sometimes also transmitted through medical devices. WHO estimates that more than one million people worldwide diagnosed with Sexually Transmitted Diseases every day. Method: The research is a descriptive survey with Cross Sectional design. The data is taken from West Lombok Indonesian Red Cross Blood Donor Unit screening laboratory of period 2020. Result : The data showed the amount of syphilis reactive donors are as many as 36 people. The data showed the highest cases among blood dorors are of the age group 40-50 years as many as 12 people or 33,3% of the total syphilis reactive donors with the most cases only being male as many as 36 people or 100% of the total syphilis reactive blood donors. Implication : Theimplication of this study are: First, prevention efforts against risky sexual behavior so that the incidence of syphilis may decrease. Second, reduce the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases through blood transfusions Novelty: The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of syphilis examination results in blood donors at UDD PMI west Lombok in 2020

Identification of alcohol use disorders among women in the Republic of Khakassia

The article presents results of a regional project to prevent and reduce the prevalence of alcohol consumption among women in the Republic of Khakassia (Eastern Siberia, Russian Federation). In addition to the main preventive goal of reducing alcohol consumption among groups of women covered by the project, there was an objective to conduct screening using the AUDIT test and provide motivational counseling in case of identifying alcohol-related problems. 691 women took part in screening, among them 202 at enterprises of the Republic of Khakassia, and 489 when seeking social/psychological support to the Khakass Republican Branch of the Russian Red Cross, as well as to local branches of the Red Cross in other cities of the Republic of Khakassia. Levels of risk related to alcohol use were identified, based on the results of the screening the studied groups of women. Depending on the risk level, three types of socio-psychological interventions were carried out: informing about harmful consequences of alcohol use and the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle; motivational counseling; motivating women for treatment of dependency.Majority of women who were screened at workplaces were more likely to use alcohol with low risk (78.2%), much smaller proportion of women had risky alcohol consumption (14.4%), alcohol consumption with harmful consequences (2.5%) or signs of alcohol dependency (2.0%). Among women who applied for social and psychological support to branches of the Russian Red Cross, prevalence of low-risk use was lower (43.4%), and risky alcohol use (31.3%), alcohol use with harmful consequences (10.6%) or signs of alcohol dependency (14.5%) were significantly higher.