Roadblock Politics

There are so many roadblocks in Central Africa that it is hard to find a road that does not have one. Based on research in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR), Peer Schouten maps more than a thousand of these roadblocks to show how communities, rebels and state security forces forge resistance and power out of control over these narrow points of passage. Schouten reveals the connections between these roadblocks in Central Africa and global supply chains, tracking the flow of multinational corporations and UN agencies alike through them, to show how they encapsulate a form of power, which thrives under conditions of supply chain capitalism. In doing so, he develops a new lens through which to understand what drives state formation and conflict in the region, offering a radical alternative to explanations that foreground control over minerals, territory or population as key drivers of Central Africa's violent history.

Situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

In the presented work, the author examines the situation with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, where they were forced to settle down after 1948. The article examines international and Lebanese documents, which made it possible to understand the status of the Palestinians. The work carried out by scientists in the fi eld is of interest, since they had the opportunity to conduct surveys and interviews. The author relied on a systematic approach in the presented study. The paper examines the social problems Palestinians face while living in refugee camps. The problems of access to basic needs, employment, marriage unions are noted. It also focuses on the issue of security for ordinary Palestinians, since the Lebanese security forces are unable to provide it, and Palestinian groups periodically feud with each other, which sometimes infl icts irreparable blow to the people. From the author's point of view, the problem of Palestinian refugees persists due to the complex confessional balance in Lebanon and is unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future, which endangers stability not only in the camps, but also in Lebanon itself.

Some Critical Notes on Sri Lankan Muslim Religious Identity Formation, Conservatism, and Violent Extremism

A new wave of attacks by Sinhala-Buddhist extremist elements against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka started following the brutal end of the ethnic civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sinhala-Buddhist-dominated Sri Lanka security forces in 2009. Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in 2019 by some Muslims polarized Sri Lanka and contributed to the compromise of the country’s security. Sri Lankan Muslims often claim they are a peaceful community and thus have no serious interests in violent mobilization. But the evidence would basically contradict Muslims’ claim of a peace-loving community. The Easter Sunday terrorist attacks did not take place in any vacuum. This paper will situate some key developments in the violent mobilization of Sri Lanka during the war against the LTTE. The primary goal of such an attempt is to read the growing religious conservative and violent trends among Muslims between 1977 and 2009. In understanding the growing religious conservative trends, an understanding is attempted to situate a later propensity for violence within the community that would manifest itself with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Interviews were conducted with members of the Islamic Dawah organizations and Muslim youth who were formerly associated with violent groups in the Eastern Province to understand the ground reality. The period of 1977–2009 is important as the rise of religious conservatist influences in Sri Lanka mirrors the global transnational influences of Iran and Middle East Petro Dollars, especially Saudi Arabia. The article draws mainly on secondary sources. But to gain a better understanding of the ground reality, we spoke to a few Eastern Muslims between July 2016 and September 2021 at regular intervals.

Stakeholder Relations Perspectives in Managing Nigeria’s Rising Crimes

In today’s Nigerian society, crime represents a critical stakeholder. The unprecedented rise in crimes, such as, armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and cattle rustling has constrained the Nigerian government to introduce several crime fighting approaches. Despite government efforts, especially through State security forces, crimes have assumed a worsening dimension with increasing cases of attacks and abduction of villagers, worshippers, travellers and other settlers around Nigeria. Schools around the country are not spared, as both students and staff of different levels of educational institutions are kidnapped for ransom and sometimes killed by bandits and terrorists. Many Nigerian farmers have also been forced to abandon their farms due to incessant attacks. Not only are lives and property threatened, the Nigerian economy is also distressed by the impacts of insecurity on agriculture and the attendant hike in the prices of essential food commodities. Following the seeming inability of regular government crime fighting approaches to substantially deal with Nigeria’s rising insecurity, this paper examined the application of stakeholder relations perspectives to approach the country’s worsening insecurity. The qualitative paper combined Stakeholder and Relational Dialectics as theoretical cornerstone. It examined the impacts of some crime-yielding challenges, such as, illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, economic inequality and pseudo-social participation on the meteoric rise in crime in Nigeria. The paper recommended the application of dialogue in managing the rising militia activities and crimes. It was also recommended that beyond equipping State security formations, Nigerian government should direct attention to the conditions that breed crimes in the country.

PCM Thermal Storage Technology and its Military Applications: A Review

Phase Change Materials (PCM) are the most promising and budding technology in the field of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and thermal comfort in buildings. PCMs are being extensively used and researched across the world for the improvement of thermal performance of buildings by smoothening temperature peaks as well as act as a power-saving tool in buildings where heating or cooling is required. PCMs can absorb and release heat or cold energy when it undergoes a phase change from solid to liquid and vice versa. This process takes place at a constant temperature absorbing a huge amount of energy in form of latent heat of fusion or vaporization in comparison to sensible heat which is absorbed with an increase of temperature. India’s frontiers stretch across a few of the world’s extreme terrains having extreme climatic conditions varying from extremely hot climates on western borders to extremely cold climates on its northern extremities. The unique characteristic of PCM based latent heat storage system can be utilized in lightweight prefabricated PUF insulated shelters used by security forces, to increase its thermal resistance or store excess heat from intermittent renewable sources during daytime for use during the night, thereby helping in maintaining a comfortable temperature inside the shelters. The PCMs characteristic of absorbing and releasing heat at a constant temperature can be effectively utilized in various other applications where thermal management or temperature control is of importance. It can also help in enhancing the mission reliability of its vehicles, equipment, plant, and electronic instruments when deployed in areas having extreme temperatures. In the present work, a broad study has been conducted based on recent progress and research across the world on PCM technology and its probable applications in the defense sector. The aim is to highlight the potential of PCMs to be utilized for the enhancement of the performance of manpower and critical equipment deployed under extreme climatic conditions encountered by the Security forces. Keywords: Phase Change Material, Thermal Energy Storage, Latent Heat Storage, Military Applications, Security forces, Indian Armed forces.

Ethnic issues in the western part of Czech Silesia from the perspective of state security forces in the years 1946 to 1948

The article is aimed on the security problems connected with ethnic issues in the region of western part of Czech Silesia in years 1946–1948. After the end of World war II came to the Czech borderland great number of new residents. The article deals with the security corps’ attitudes towards members of individual nationalities and examines the differences in their perceptions.

Taliban soldiers form core of Afghan new model army

Significance They have started by renaming the old army corps and beginning to retrain Taliban combatants. In adopting the trappings of a conventional army, they have made their men wear uniform and held military parades. The aim is to show neighbouring countries that the Taliban government is running a real state with appropriate standards for its security forces. Impacts Neighbouring states will be reassured by an army that resembles its predecessor and has no real capabilities beyond domestic security. The Taliban have limited capacity to absorb and use new equipment for now, even if some donor were willing to provide it. Limited help may be available: Chinese, Russian and Pakistan military trainers and advisers are reportedly present.

Intra-jihadist rivalry fuels violence in Lake Chad

Significance Competition between the jihadist groups remains tense and insecurity is being stoked further by intercommunal conflict over land and water resources that overstretched security forces are struggling to contain. Impacts Economic hardship will increase in the Lake Chad region amid the effects of climate change and economic slowdown due to the pandemic. Jihadist dominance in the region is almost certain to swing back and forth between ISWAP and Boko Haram. The use of the Boko Haram moniker to describe all jihadist operations poses challenges to accurate attribution of attacks.

Sudan’s junta may exploit centre-periphery tensions

Significance Nevertheless, Sudan’s military has been able to retain some partnerships, notably with groups representing constituencies from the periphery, which offer it a potentially crucial alternative support base. Impacts Recent unrest in Darfur could provide an early test of how the regime can manage local tensions that map onto cleavages in its own ranks. Ultimatums from Western governments based on binary civil-military framings may polarise positions by pressuring groups to pick sides. Pressure for military integration risks institutionalising factionalism among armed groups within the security forces.