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Cosmopolitan Just War Theory and Humanitarian Military Intervention
No full textThe legitimacy of humanitarian military intervention (HMI) is often propounded by cosmopolitans arguing against realist or nationalist views on war, which would not save distant strangers. While some cosmopolitans claim that some use of force is not war but rather cosmopolitan law enforcement, most cosmopolitan arguments in favour of HMI centre around some of the standard Just War criteria. The thrust of these discussions is the argument that a deontological commitment to the intrinsic worth of humans everywhere (and a merely contingent relevance of state borders and sovereignty) means that ‘we’ must sometimes use military force to come to the aid of victims of violence within another state, and that abusive regimes undermine the rationale for their existence and forfeit their right to non-intervention. Such arguments have gained traction since the early 2000s with the promulgation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which conceptualises sovereignty as responsibility for a state’s population and which refers to Just War criteria when considering military responses to mass atrocities.
This chapter explores the cosmopolitan position on Just War criteria as these pertain to the concept of HMI and offers a critique of these positions and of militarism and Just War theory more generally. It then considers cosmopolitan pacifism and nonviolent resistance, before exploring how cosmopolitans might view the war in Ukraine and the challenge of fighting a just war, whether or not it fits a traditional understanding of an HMI
Olympic sport policy as a ‘sociological problem’
No full textGlobally, significant resources are allocated towards sporting success at the Olympic Games. Behind Team GB success, steadily increasing investment has seen many more people employed in Olympic sport, estimated at 471,957 roles (UK Sport & The Sports Consultancy, 2024). Yet relatively little research has sought to understand the experiences of those working in Olympic sport in managerial and administrative roles. Within this thesis, process sociology is used both as a sensitising concept to explore the Olympic sport policy process in the UK and as a theoretical framework to guide the method design. This process sociology inspired approach focuses on long-term processes, interdependencies, power relations, and emotions.
The study draws on a multi-method approach consisting of 27 semi-structured interviews with senior national governing body figures conducted between 2020 and 2023, a review of 108 policy documents, and a reflective journal maintained by the author as a sport policy professional. The timing of this research coincided with major global and domestic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Following reflexive thematic analysis, three interrelated themes were generated: the unique ‘British State’s relationship with Olympic sport policy’, policy workers ‘playing the game’, and the ‘personal impact and personal cost’ on them.
The policy process is presented as an evolving figuration of interdependent actors shaped by shifting power balances, institutional histories, and emotional investments. Furthermore, policy implementation is bound up in personal stories, interpersonal struggles, and invisible emotional labour. Policy actors emerge as individuals enmeshed in complex figurations, at once shaping and shaped by institutional structures. This deep level of involvement has implications both for the policy process and for each individual’s well-being. This research contributes new knowledge to understanding policy work and policy workers in Olympic sport in the UK, with implications for research and practice
Bad stats: A regular series exploring slip-ups, snafus and salutary lessons from the world of statistics
No full textFortifying the Seams Between C/C++ and Rust: Characterizing Bugs in Interop Tools
No full textRust has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its safety and high performance. Despite these advantages, Rust projects rarely start from scratch in practice, and many Rust-based systems instead use hybrid programming, where Rust interoperates with existing C/C++ code. To reduce the manual effort involved in this interoperation (interop) process, several interop tools have been proposed to facilitate hybrid programming between Rust and C/C++. However, the challenges and limitations of these tools remain largely unexplored, leaving developers unclear about the future directions and users unclear about the appropriate usage scenarios. To fill the gap, we mined 320 bugs in the popular interop tools, i.e., Bindgen, Cbindgen, and CXX. We observe that the main obstacle is not tool crashes or performance issues, but the inability to generate correct and functional code. The leading types of the failures are generating code that is unfaithful to the original code’s intent and generating incomplete code. Memory layout mismatch is the most common cause with Bindgen. Input with complex struct is the biggest challenge across tools, followed by the usage with specific tool configuration options for customized binding generation. Even input with primitive data types can be problematic. We also observe a common fix pattern that updates the control flow and condition. Based on our findings, we propose a series of suggestions to developers, users, and future researchers. For example, we suggest the developers validate configuration combinations, provide clearer documentation, and implement default-safe mechanisms to prevent failures related to unexpected tool configuration options
Ichthyoplankton assemblages and dispersal pathways in the South‐Central Tyrrhenian Sea
No full textThis thesis investigates ichthyoplankton communities in the South-Central Tyrrhenian Sea, with a focus on two submarine canyons: Dohrn, in the Gulf on Naples and Cuma in the Gulf of Gaeta, and the coastal LTER-MC station in the Gulf of Naples. By integrating ecological, molecular, and modelling approaches, it assesses spatial and temporal differences in larval assemblages between canyon and coastal sites. These patterns were examined in relation to physical variables such as temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen.
Taxonomic identification of fish larvae, often constrained by the absence of diagnostic morphological traits and convergent morphologies, was enhanced through DNA barcoding of the COI gene. This approach confirmed preliminary morphological assignments, resolved ambiguous specimens and improved overall taxonomic resolution, highlighting the potential underestimation of species richness using traditional methods.
Larval dispersal dynamics were examined using Lagrangian Particle Tracking simulations combined with connectivity analyses. The simulations revealed seasonal variability in dispersal patterns, with the two gulfs exchanging roles as sources and sinks across seasons.
Seasonal and spatial patterns in ichthyoplankton assemblages were strongly influenced by both hydrographic conditions and canyon morphology. In summer, Gobiidae dominated the canyon assemblages, while European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) was the most abundant pelagic species. Autumn assemblages were characterized by high abundances of Myctophidae, Clupeidae (Sardina pilchardus), and Mugilidae, reflecting a mix of mesopelagic and neritic taxa. Winter larval assemblages, under vertically homogeneous conditions, were dominated by Sardina pilchardus eggs and balanced larval communities, whereas spring showed variable contributions from mesopelagic taxa such as Cyclothone braueri Interannual variability further modulated these patterns, with shifts in the relative abundance of dominant taxa corresponding to changes in stratification, temperature, and sampling timing.
By combining ecological, molecular, and modelling approaches, this study provides an integrated perspective on larval diversity, dispersal, and connectivity. This work addresses a knowledge gap in ichthyoplankton ecology of the South-Central Tyrrhenian Sea, a region where larval dynamics remain largely unexplored. The findings also hold societal relevance, as understanding patterns of larval dispersal and connectivity is fundamental for the conservation and sustainable management of fisheries in one of the most heavily exploited areas of the Mediterranean
Introduction to <i>The Law Teacher</i> special issue on “New Trends in Teaching Contract Law"
No full textThe eight articles collected in this special issue on “New Trends in Teaching Contract Law” demonstrate that, despite being a core first-year module with large student numbers, contract law is a remarkably fertile ground for innovation in teaching and learning. This special issue contributes to a range of broader academic discussions on topics such as active learning, authentic assessment and visualisation techniques, framing those discussions in the context of contract law across different jurisdictions and teaching traditions, and the challenges of large group teaching specifically. Amidst unprecedented change both on and off the university campus, the subject of contract law is a constant where lasting innovations could be developed. We hope that the current selection of eight papers will provide food for thought for law teachers of contract and other large core modules in the English curriculum, and some of the ideas presented here may stimulate colleagues well beyond the core curriculum
Surrendering to Death and Its Aftermath: Conceptual Explorations in the Era of Coloniality/Modernity
No full textWe focus in this chapter on aspects of decolonising death and its continuing aftermath in the lives of the living – often referred to through the English terms of ‘bereavement and grief’. Here we hone in on the significance of particular words/concepts, the building blocks for constructing particular versions of the world, framing lived experiences and theoretical models. Extending our previous work, we explore our lived experiences bound up with our diverse intersectional heritages in the United Kingdom, through the collaborative conversational auto-ethnographic methodology we have been developing. In our explorations here, we focus particularly on the terms ‘acceptance’ and ‘surrender’ along with their potential counterparts of ‘denial’ and ‘resistance’. We ruminate on their nuances and meanings along with their ontological underpinnings, and reflect on their relevance or otherwise in regard to our personal lived experiences of significant deaths. While ‘acceptance’ is framed as a key ‘task’ or ‘stage’ of ‘the grief process’ in currently dominant models emanating from Minority Worlds, in the face of existential threats, these discourses of coloniality/modernity are revealed as deeply inadequate, offering little onto-epistemological capacity for meaning-making in response to our experiences of profoundly difficult deaths. Further, while indigenous philosophical thinking draws attention to the implications of ‘wording’ the world in the era of coloniality/modernity, it also suggests central questions about the possibilities of words/concepts for decolonising work at all, thus highlighting the limitations of our endeavours here in seeking to de-centre dominant Minority World language and models of death and its aftermath
A Reflection on Opportunities for a Radical Change in Accounting Education in the Era of AI
No full textDespite five decades of calls for reform and development in accounting education, the curriculum, teaching methods, and assessments at higher education institutions have undergone minimal change. This inertia is largely due to the need to satisfy the technical requirements of professional bodies, institutional constraints, and learner perceptions. However, recent discourse surrounding advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the evolving landscape of higher education presents a timely opportunity for a radical change in accounting pedagogy—both at the university and professional levels. This shift has the potential to address the issues associated with the functionalist view of accounting profession. By leveraging AI to automate routine tasks and enhance the strategic contributions of accountants, we advocate for the adoption of a dialogic approach to accounting education. This approach can stimulate learners to cultivate the skills necessary for authentic engagement with society. Specifically, dialogic forms of accountability encourage students to appreciate societal power differentials and the heterogeneity of stakeholders’ interests, fostering a more inclusive and socially responsive mindset. As a result, learners are more likely to engage constructively in ongoing discussions about the ethical and social responsibilities of accountants and businesses. In this chapter, we critically evaluate existing literature on accounting education and explore the challenges and opportunities emerging from technological advancements. We argue for the integration of dialogic pedagogy in universities as a means of broadening students’ understanding of the inherently social nature of accounting
Social Work in Mental Health Settings: International Perspectives on Practice
No full textSocial Work in Mental Health Settings brings together leading academics and practitioners to explore how mental health social work is shaped and practised around the world. In so doing, it responds to a striking lack of comparative literature in the field and offers readers a timely, global perspective on this important area of practice.
Combining macro-level analyses with in-depth country case studies – from Brazil and Bosnia and Herzegovina to China and Trinidad and Tobago – the book interrogates how mental health policy, law, political conflict and social movements influence practice.
Essential reading for scholars and professionals working in social work and mental health, this book engages with urgent contemporary themes – from feminist care ethics and community care to self-harm and mindfulness – offering invaluable guidance for those seeking a deeper understanding of mental health social work in the global context
Multiple and Multi-dimensional Life Transitions of World Transplant Athletes
No full textTransplant Games are sports competitions open to transplant athletes (TxA) aiming to promote sport among organ recipients, donors, and the wider community. There is some emerging evidence that preparing for and participating in Transplant Games might help to improve motivation, and mental and physical health of TxA. Nonetheless, most literature takes a medical or social care perspective on the experience of transplant recipients, with limited research focussed on the lived experiences and transitions of TxA and their direct social networks (e.g., partner, family, friends). Using the Multiple and Multi-dimensional transitions (MMT) framework of Jindal-Snape (2020), this mixed methods research used an embedded case-study approach and analysed in-depth the multiple and multi-dimensional lived transitions of four UK TxA who received a kidney transplant from an unrelated donor and became cyclists/triathletes. Substantial differences were reported in how participants coped with these transitions, and how they were actively or passively supported, encouraged, and sometimes discouraged by their direct social networks. This study shows that TxA and their stakeholders need to be more aware of the potential impact of direct social networks on TxA transitions