The use of proxies in warfare is typically understood as a state sponsor’s reliance on military surrogates that are outside the purview of the state’s conventional armed or security forces, and that offer services to their benefactors in exchange for tangible material support. A long-standing feature in the history of armed conflict , the reliance on surrogates has become particularly endemic in the post–World War II era, with important implications for international security. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the ensuing “global war on terror,” the use of…
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THE KEY ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS AND EXPERTS IN SPACE AND GOVERNANCE
Institutional design includes constitutional-level rules that specify the participants, how authority is distributed, and how rules can be made, or what Hart would call “secondary rules.” Central to polycentric governance is users’ self-organization or self-governance, i.e., that users organize themselves to address shared problems and interests. In self-governance, the users of the Common pool Resources (CPRs) (e.g., fishermen fishing from the same lake, farmers using the same water basin) themselves establish, modify, and possibly enforce the rules regulating the use and protection of a common resource. As Elinor Ostrom noted,…
Read MoreDIGITAL CYBER REVOLUTION: AUTHORITARIANISM, CYBER SOVEREIGNTY AND REASSERTION OF STATE CONTROL
International law has generally recognized that, “ sovereignty is perhaps the most fundamental [principle]. From [which] emerges, inter alia, notions of non-intervention; prescriptive, enforcement, and adjudicative jurisdiction; sovereign immunity; due diligence; and territorial integrity.” A sovereign state thus maintains the right “to conduct its affairs without outside interference. Between independent states , respect for territorial sovereignty is an essential foundation of international relations.” Extending this principal of independent sovereign control to the ephemeral territory of cyber space, Russia and China have actively advocated for cyber sovereignty—“the idea that states should…
Read MoreLEVERS TO IMPROVE INDOOR AIR QUALITY: BEST PUBLIC POLICIES/ PRACTICES AND INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES
A crucial lever is improving access to clean energy for Three billion people. Getting renewable energy on small local distribution grids will help people phase out fossil and polluting fuels. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition(CCAC) has worked with development banks and micro-finance institutions to develop programs to support impoverished communities and enable them to get access to renewable energy. One example is XacBank, in Mongolia. In this country, the smoke from coal and wood burning is a major contributor to black carbon and Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 air pollution,…
Read MoreTHE AGE OF NEW WARS: THE USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS IN ARMED CONFLICTS
In history & current warring parties, political scientists counted a large number of wars and armed conflicts worldwide, almost all of them in developed countries &developing countries. Observers of these current ‘New wars’ or ‘complex political emergencies’ have noted that the main target of the war parties is the civilian population, and systematic atrocities, massacres and bombings are often applied as rational strategies within current warfare. Some believe in witnessing a qualitative change in the way wars are waged and organized violence is exerted; in other words, a transformation in…
Read MorePRICE OF HUMAN LIFE: MEDICAL, LEGAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS
The price of a human life has never been properly assessed, and a man as a value has neither been sufficiently learned nor protected. Though seeming illogical but, if the human life is under-evaluated, more extensively and lethally endangered, then it gives way to different approaches and methods to be developed in order to determine the man like a value (price) of material and social substance. Extensive research is being carried out in different countries on the value of a statistical life (VSL). Determination of material values of a human’s…
Read MoreARE HUMAN RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL WARMING?: THE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The case for attributing the recent global warming to human activities rests on the following undisputed scientific facts: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere. Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm. Current concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are unprecedented in at least the last 650,000 years, based on records from gas bubbles trapped in polar ice. Independent measurements demonstrate that the increased CO2 in the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels…
Read MoreADULT VACCINATION: AN OVERVIEW OF THE EUROPE, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN AND SOUTH EAST ASIA : PART II
The increase of life expectancy in Europe renders older people an important proportion of the general population and healthy aging is being increasingly incorporated into modern healthcare systems. In 2019 persons ≥65 years old accounted for approximately 20% of the European population, and this is expected to increase to approximately 30% by 2050. The region has had a comprehensive adult immunization schedule, which is likely related to lesser vaccine hesitancy as well as larger acceptance for adult immunization. A 2019 analysis of vaccination policies for adults in 42 European countries…
Read MorePRIORITY NEEDS OF CHILDREN IN GAZA OVERVIEW OF CONSTRAINED FOOD SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN AID
Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs among children in Gaza are high. Since 7th October 2023, most of the children in the Gaza Strip have been through traumatic events, including grief, widespread destruction, forced displacement, and severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. The absence of safe spaces and playgrounds and the closure of schools are also factors that cause mental health and psychosocial issues among children. They are reported to be suffering from anxiety, fear, emotional withdrawal, and nightmares. Israel has bombed Gaza’s only psychiatric hospital, and air…
Read MoreLAND USE: REGULATORY ASPECTS, PRACTICES AND FACTORS HAVING ADVERSE EFFECT, POLICIES METODS AND OTHER TOOLS TO PRESERVE LAND RESOURCES AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE LAND USE
The land use are subject to human intervention and include a full range of management practices, through agriculture, urban sprawl, tourism or by changing the forms of use of rural areas etc… The magnitude of this artificial land in countries under strong natural constraint raises questions about the social value of land, and on the modes of public regulation that would protect them more effectively against human intervention. The majority of countries have adopted policies for improved land management. Others countries have implemented land use practices, this takes many forms…
Read MoreARM CONFLICT IN 21ST CENTURY : THE RIGHTS OF VICTIMS AND LEVELS OF RESPONSIBILITY
In International Human Rights Law(IHRL), victims have been defined as persons who, individually or collectively, have suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that are in violation of criminal laws operative within Member States, including those laws proscribing criminal abuse of power. Offences in contravention of the laws of war are considered criminal offences and therefore, those who have suffered as a result of any offences conducted in the course of an armed conflict as…
Read MoreCHALLENGES TO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT: PREJUDICE, MYTH, AND REALITY
When young people are engaged in community decisions that affect them, better decisions are made and everyone benefits. When communities involve youth in ways that are meaningful, they tap new energy, knowledge and leadership. And yet, too often, young people do not participate in civic activities-especially the traditional, public decision making process of governments. There are many prejudices regarding the interests and capacity of youth. These beliefs contribute to feelings of alienation and disempowerment, predispose youth engagement efforts to failure, and can lead directly to individual harm. Individuals are hurt…
Read MoreTHE NEW EMPIRICISM IN HUMAN RIGHTS: INSIGHTS AND IMPLICATIONS(75TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR)
Seventy five years ago, the nations of the world came together to make a revolutionary pledge: Together, they would work to promote “universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Although significant progress has been made toward this goal in the Seventy five years since the world remains rife with human rights abuses and it’s continuing? and in some parts of the world worsening? reality of human rights violations raises a difficult question for advocates and students of international law: Can international human rights law be used…
Read MoreTHE WEAPONIZATION OF OUTER SPACE: HARNESSING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Given the environmental challenges that are unique to the space domain and the exponential increase in the number and different types of actors in space, tenets of cooperation, collaboration, and communication are necessary to avoid unwanted escalation of potential conflicts or friction. The need for clarity and transparency in space is paramount to continued access to and use of space. In the space domain, increased transparency is something from which we can all benefit. Exchange of information, particularly in respect of space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management, must…
Read MoreFOUR CONVENTIONS IN THE WORLD OF GLOBAL HEALTH: SURVIVAL , FAIRNESS , PRODUCTION , AND SPIRIT
To justify policies, allocate resources, and assign different roles in the field of global health, the participating actors and institutions refer to a plural yet limited set of conventions. Their specific characteristics echo elements of the conventions that researchers identified in their studies of western culture, even if they are not identical with them. Elements from the spheres of international security, development, and medical discourses have given rise to distinct conventions in the world of global health. Yet, their basic structure as conventions, or “orders of worth,”: Each of them…
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