Banning Evil

The rise and entry into force of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) that prohibits cluster bombs constitutes a global prohibition regime. I argue that this new prohibition regime and the arising new international norm set by the CCM, i.e. the prohibition of the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention or transfer of cluster munitions developed due to a strong moral opprobrium, initially elicited by commanding moral force of International Humanitarian Law as a robust and compelling previously existing normative structure and then by the success of the ban on landmines that acted as a model of activism and fast-track diplomacy a decade before. The ban on cluster bombs is about military doctrines succumbing to the higher authority of moral and humanitarian concerns propelled by activist non-governmental actors and a few forward-looking states.

Efficiency Assessment of Thai Energy Industries: Using Rational Two-Stage DEA

Energy industries have a high potential to contribute the Thai economy. In exploring operating activities, concept of data envelopment analysis (DEA) is led to appropriately consider technical efficiency. Since the whole process of firms can be separated into two sub-processes; production acquisition and profit earning, this research aims to assess the cause of an inefficiency for the 24 energy companies by using rational two-stage DEA. Cross section data was obtained from the stock exchange of Thailand in 2010. The empirical results showed that the average score 0.7592 of the production acquisition was higher than the average score 0.3376 of the profit earning, implying that the inefficiency for the whole process was caused by the second sub-process. In addition, BCG matrix provided beneficial strategies for a firm’s manager to improve a business performance in order to be the leader of energy industries.

A Balance of Fear: Asymmetric Threats and Tit-for-Tat Strategies in Gaza

This article looks at the use of ultra-short-range rockets by Palestinian militant factions in the Gaza Strip as part of the overall dynamic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and as a tool employed within internal Palestinian rivalries. Against the background of the gross military asymmetry between the parties to the conflict, it assesses the strategic utility of the rockets, including their psychological value as an "equalizer" to Israeli attacks. The article scrutinizes Israel's options to counter the rocket threat and identifies steps toward containing violence in Gaza. While bearing in mind that several Palestinian militant groups are involved in the production, acquisition, and firing of rockets, this article focuses on Hamas because, due to its leadership role in the Gaza Strip, a solution for the rocket issue will not be found without factoring in and providing a role for the Islamic organization.