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The South African Military and Peace Support Operations: Responding to the Challenges and Preparing for Engagement
Get PDFThe original publication is available at http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pubCITATION: Neethling, T. G. 1997. The South African Military and Peace Support Operations: Responding to the Challenges and Preparing for Engagement. Scientia Militaria - South African Journal of Military Studies, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.5787/27-1-224.Suid-Afrika het in die afgelope tyd om meer as een rede toenemend by politiekdiplomatieke vredesinisiatiewe betrokke geraak. Op die militêre terrein is die Suid- Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag (SANW) eweneens besig met voorbereidings om op multilaterale grondslag aan toekomstige vredesondersteunde operasies deel te neem. Met die oog op sodanige deelname is die SANW tans besig om in samewerking met buitelandse weermagte aandag te skenk aan 'n grondslag vir gesamentlike optrede. Selfs meer betekenisvol is Suid-Afrika se ontwikkelende politieke en diplomatieke status in Suider-Afrika en die koordinering van inisiatiewe om 'n gemeenskaplike veiligheidsbenadering op die sub-kontinent te bevorder. In die opsig speel die land 'n belangrike rol in pogings om 'n nuwe veiligheids- en verdedigingsprofiel in Suider-Afrika te laat vorm aanneem.
In die lig van toenemende verwagtinge wat met betrekking tot vredesinisiatiewe aan Suid-Afrika gestel word, asook in die konteks van die uitdagings enrisikos wat vredesondersteunde operasies inhou, spreek dit vanself dat enige toekomstige deelname daaraan met omsigtigheid oorweeg moet word. Verskeie politieke en operasionele oorwegings moet in die verband in aanmerking geneem word. Wat dit betref, is die Departement van Verdediging skynbaar deeglik onder die indruk van die politieke en militêre dinamiek van vredesondersteunende operasies, asook die onervarendheid van die SANW in die opsig. Gevolglik is bepaalde parameters, riglyne en selfs voorwaardes vir deelname aan sodanige operasies uitgestippel. As sodanig is daar klaarblyklik 'n besef dat die land op 'n verantwoordelike wyse en langs die weg van 'n bepaalde proses daarby betrokke behoort te raak.Publisher's versio
A political risk analysis of Botswana
No full textOften the most attractive investment opportunities sprout from politically troubled countries. To better gauge the profitability of investments in countries riddled with political troubles, a political risk analysis is required. Although academic studies of political risk analysis usually seek to analyse countries with severe political risks, this study seeks to diverge from the status quo. Instead, this study explores an African country known for its good political environment. Botswana presides over a reputation of good governance and a stable economy while also being one of the top diamond producers in the world. Despite this image, this study argues that there are two reasons to conduct a political risk analysis of Botswana. First, a number of ‘under-the-radar’ events suggest that the peaceful surface might conceal a troubling undercurrent that could point to future political risks. The best way to sufficiently scrutinise the validity of this concern is to conduct a political risk analysis on Botswana using indicators that would detect any troublesome undercurrents. Second, political risk analysis is about reporting on political risks that might negatively impact an investment in a seemingly profitable industry. Therefore, this study argues that political risk analysis should not be limited to countries with the worst political standings but to all countries regardless of their reputation. Even stable, prosperous countries like Botswana may hold political risks that should be scrutinised by political risk analysis. On the backdrop of the abovementioned, this study uses a synthesis of some of the foremost political risk models and applies the synthesised model, with two additional indicators, on the case of Botswana to determine exactly which contemporary political, social, or economic conditions, events and role players may pose a particular or general risk to both the political and economic stability of the country. Ultimately, the study found that at the heart of Botswana’s political risks lies the issue of water security, the staleness and dominance of the ruling party, an array of worrisome social conditions, and continued overdependence of diamonds. Although Botswana has been praised for its good governance and economy, this study found that it still presents a number of political risks and compares relatively ill to other upper- middle income countries
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Changing international realities and the configuration of the South African National Defence Force in the 21st century
No full textEnglish: The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is currently in the process of
evaluating its policies, strategies and force design in order to ensure that it is optimally
postured and configured to successfully carry out its ordered tasks in the 21st century.
Success will depend on how well the SANDF analyses the environment in which it will have
to function, as well as how well it prioritises its objectives when making decisions about the
most appropriate approach to the development of a national security strategy, force
planning and the role of the military as one of the components of national power.
The study examines developments in the South African defence debate since 1994. Two
key policy documents, namely the South African White Paper on Defence of 1996 and the
South African Defence Review of 1998, established the national defence posture and
defined the functions and tasks of the Department of Defence. The primary organising
principle behind these documents was its commitment to designing the SANDF for its socalled
primary role, namely the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
South Africa against an external military threat. This principle was ultimately used as a
yardstick to determine the SANDF’s force design, force structure and capability
requirements. The focus on the primary tasks of the SANDF has, over time, proven to be
misaligned with the governmental objectives to be achieved and it has become evident that
the force design and structure as prescribed in these documents fail to adequately address
the current and future operational requirements of the SANDF. Furthermore, many
defence analysts have pointed out that critical issues such as the continuing misalignment
between the allocated defence budget and expected defence outcomes have also not been
addressed. This has created a dilemma in which the SANDF, despite the acquisition of
state-of-the-art air and naval assets in 1998, is still not optimally configured, adequately
trained or equipped or sufficiently funded to execute and sustain its required operational
tasks. Furthermore, due to significant changes that have taken place in the security
environment since 1994, it has become evident that the principles on which the SANDF
was originally designed might no longer be relevant to current defence requirements.
The study includes an analysis of the 21st century’s security environment – a threat
environment that is, and will be, characterised by political and social complexity and a
variety of modes of warfare that will converge in unexpected ways. Defence forces will
have to develop capabilities to conduct a wide range of missions simultaneously while
retaining the capacity to operate across the full spectrum of warfare – from traditional warfighting and peacekeeping to disaster management and support to other government
departments. These requirements demand a reassessment of the current SANDF force
design and force structure as the current frameworks have proven to be misaligned with
current Government deployment requirements and the characteristics of the prevailing
African security environment.
The study is based on the premise that significant changes should be made to the current
SANDF force design and structure. The 2014 Defence Review highlights the fact that the
SANDF is, and will be, expected to play a variety of roles in Africa, and that it will often be
deployed in ‘secondary’ functions such as peacekeeping, border management and
humanitarian support. Despite this shift to a more holistic and multifunctional approach to
defence, which addresses both traditional and non-traditional roles of the military during
Joint, Interdepartmental, Interagency and Multinational (JI2M) operations, the 2014
Defence Review continues to structure the SANDF in accordance with traditional single
service organisational structures. These structures, the SA Army, the SA Navy, the SA Air
Force and the South African Medical Health Services are not optimally configured to meet
the demands of JI2M deployments. Defence planners refer to the adage that structure
follows strategy, therefore, if the SANDF is expected to function in a joint environment, its
force design and force structure should reflect this ‘jointness’ as the essence of its design
principles.
The study concludes that the logical cost-effective solution to the configuration of the
SANDF would be the adoption of a modular force design, based on composite brigades
that could be utilised as interchangeable building blocks which can be tailor-made for
specific deployments, rather than to continue with the cumbersome traditional practice of
using the services as building blocks. Modular force design will enable the SANDF to have
a mass organic, scalable, joint precision effect, at an increasingly higher level than before,
and enable the SANDF to balance the principles of concentration of force with economy of
effort.Afrikaans: Die Suid Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag (SANW) is in die proses om die organisasie se
beleid, strategieë en magsontwerp te evalueer om te verseker dat die Weermag optimaal
gekonfigureerd en georiënteerd is om take, soos deur die Regering vereis, suksesvol
gedurende die 21ste eeu uit te voer. Die sukses van hierdie proses sal bepaal word deur
hoe goed die SANW se beplanners daarin sal kan slaag om die omgewing waarin die
SANW waarskynlik sal opereer te analiseer, sowel as deur hoe goed die beplanners die
organisasie se doelwitte sal kan prioritiseer wanneer hulle beslissings maak oor die mees
gepaste benaderings tot die ontwikkeling van ’n nasionale veiligheidstrategie, die
magsvoorbereiding en die rol wat die Weermag sal moet vervul as een van die komponente
van die staat se magsbasis.
Die tesis verken die ontwikkelings in die Suid-Afrikaanse verdedigingsdebat sedert 1994.
Twee primêre beleidsdokumente, naamlik die Suid-Afrikaanse Witskrif ten opsigte van
Verdediging van 1996 en die Suid-Afrikaanse Verdedigingsoorsig van 1998, het die
nasionale verdedigingspostuur geїdentifiseer en het ook die rol en take van die
Departement van Verdediging duidelik uitgespel. Die primêre organisatoriese beginsel wat
in hierdie twee beleidsdokumente vervat is, was die oriëntering tot die organisering van die
Weermag om sy sogenaamde primêre rol, die beskerming van die sovereniteit en
territoriale integriteit van die staat teen aanvalle deur ’n eksterne militêre bedreiging te
vervul. Hierdie beginsel is dan ook gebruik as maatstaf om die SANW se magsontwerp,
magstrukture en vereiste verdedigingskapasiteit te bepaal. Die fokus op die uitvoering van
die Weermag se primêre take is egter met verloop van tyd uitgelig as ’n onvanpaste
benadering tot die rol wat die Weermag moet vervul en dit het duidelik geword dat die
magsontwerp en magstruktuur wat in bogenoemde beleidsdokumente uitsgespel word nie
daarin geslaag het om aan die huidige en toekomstige operasionele behoeftes van die
SANW te voldoen nie. Verskeie kenners op die vakgebied van nasionale verdediging is dit
ook eens dat kritieke aspekte van die verdediginsdebat in Suid-Afrika, soos die
verdedigingsbegroting wat nie met die voorgeskrewe en verwagte verdediginsdoelwitte
ooreenstem nie en ook nie in een van die beleidsdokumente geanaliseer word nie.
Die dilemma het onstaan dat die SANW, ten spyte van die feit dat nuwe vegvliegtuie en
frigatte ten duurste aangekoop is, steeds nie optimaal gekonfigureerd is nie en dat lede
van die SANW nog nie optimaal opgelei en toegerus is om operasies suksesvol uit te voer
en logisties te ondersteun nie. Verder het dit, in die lig van verskeie ingrypende veranderings wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse veiligheidsomgewing sedert 1994 plaasgevind het,
duidelik geword dat die beginsels waarop die samestelling van die SANW aanvanklik
gegrond was, nie meer relevant is tot huidige en toekomstige verdedigingsbehoeftes nie.
Die studie sluit ’n analise van die 21ste eeu se veiligheidsomgewing in – ’n omgewing wat
gekenmerk word deur politiekie en sosiale kompleksiteite en ’n omgewing waarin verskeie
metodes en tegnieke van oorlogvoering op onverwagse wyses op mekaar sal inwerk.
Weermagte van regoor die wêreld sal daarop gevestig moet wees om vermoëns te
onwikkel om verskeie tipes van militêre ontplooings gelyktydig te kan uitvoer terwyl hulle
terselfdertyd die kapasiteit sal moet behou om die volle spektrum van oorlogvoering
suksesvol te kan aanspreek. Dit beteken dat die SANW oor die vermoë sal moet beskik
om tradisionele, konvensionele oorlogvoering te kan voer en om vredessteunoperasies
suksesvol te kan ondersteun, terwyl die Weermag ook sy kapasiteit om hulp te verleen
tydens mensgemaakte en natuurlike rampe voortdurend sal moet uitbou. Hierdie vereistes
impliseer dat die SANW se huidige magsontwerp en strukture herevalueer moet word
aangesien die huidige ontwerp nie belyn is met die Regering se doelwitte en opgelegde
take nie, en ook omdat die huidige magsontwerp nie voorsiening maak vir die tipe
bedreigings wat eie is aan Afrika se veiligheidsomgewing nie.
Die studie is gebaseer op die veronderstelling dat ingrypende wysigings gemaak sal moet
word aan die SANW se huidige magsontwerp en strukture. Die voorgestelde nuwe
Verdedigingsoorsig van 2014 (2014 Defence Review) lê klem op die feit dat die SANW
tans, sowel as in die toekoms, daarop voorbereid sal moet wees om verskeie
verdediginstake in Afrika uit te voer en dat die Weermag dikwels in sy sogenaamde
sekondêre rol ontplooi sal word. Sekondêre take wat deur die SANW uitgevoer sal moet
word, sluit vredessteun, grensbeheer en humanitêre steun operasies in. Ten spyte van die
feit dat daar ’n duidelike verskuiwing in denke plaasgevind het oor die take wat die SANW
in die toekoms sal moet uitvoer as deel van ’n geїntegreerde, inter-agentskap, interdepartmentele
en multi-nasionale mag (Joint, Interdepartmental, Interagency and
Multinational) word die Weermag steeds in die voorgestelde Verdediginsoorsig van 2014
voorgestel as ’n organisasie wat uit vier afsonderlike weermagsdele bestaan, naamlik die
SA Leër, die SA Lugmag, die SA Vloot en die SA Geneeskundige Dienste. Hierdie
strukture is egter nie die mees gepaste magsamestellings vir die tipe operasies waarin die
SANW betrokke sal raak nie. Verdedigingsanaliste en beplanners verwys dikwels na die
aanvaarde norm dat struktuur strategie volg en daarom sal dit meer van pas wees om die SANW se magsontwerp aan te pas om optimaal as deel van gesamentlike en
geїntegreerde mag te kan fungeer.
Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die mees logiese en finansieël verantwoordelike
oplossing te vinde is in die aanvaarding en toepassing van ’n modulêre magsontwerp,
gebaseer op saamgestelde brigades as boublokke. Hierdie saamgestelde brigades kan
aangewend en aangepas word om aan die spesifieke vereistes van bepaalde missies te
voldoen, eerder as om die tradisionele weermagsdele as boublokke te gebruik. ’n
Modulere magsontwerp sal aan die SANW die geleentheid bied om gebalanseerde,
geintegreerde magselemente saam te voeg wat optimaal toegerus is om spesifieke
doelwitte te bereik en wat uiteindelik meer effektief aangewend sal kan word om die
beginsels van konsentrasie, die ekonomiese aanwending van mag en buigsaamheid te laat
realiseer
Burden-sharing and hybrid peacekeeping operations in Somalia and Sudan: a critical analysis
No full textEnglish: This study explores whether hybrid peacekeeping operations, or recent forms of UN-
AU co-operation, offer new prospects or opportunities to the challenges relating to
international peacekeeping in Africa. It further analyses whether the international
community is moving towards more effective and legitimate peacekeeping operations
when it follows an approach of hybrid peacekeeping operations in Africa. Through
historical-critical examinations of case studies of peacekeeping operations in Liberia,
Burundi, Darfur, and Somalia, the study interrogates the evolution and practicality of
key concepts such as R2P, mandates and legal underpinning, and the UN and AU
architectures for peacekeeping operations.
The study found that peacekeeping has shifted to include the three components
(civilian, police, and military), making peacekeeping operations multidimensional in
scope and approach. The cooperative security partnership between the UN and AU
and sub-regional organisations, such as ECOWAS in Liberia and AU in Burundi, have
demonstrated the significance of a cooperative venture towards lasting peace. The
relationship between these two organisations - the UN and AU - is of paramount
importance, and must be based on coherent and strategically structured relations
which are systematically integrated.
The implementation of hybrid peacekeeping operations offers new prospects or
opportunities if the UN and AU use the advantages these possess to bring about
peace, despite the challenges being faced. The study has shown how limited
traditional interventions led to the innovative hybridisation but also made the case for
the need to refine the response. The ultimate conclusion is that the resource and
political constraints faced by the AU would benefit from the solid shared international
responsibility provided by the comparative advantage of hybridisation.
The study concluded that the UN and AU relationship and cooperation over the past
two decades presents significant steps toward operations that would contribute to
lasting peace in Africa. The lessons provided by the Liberia, Burundi, Darfur, and
Somalia cases offer an instructive foundation for both the UN and AU to improve on
an evolving approach. Lessons can be learned from the conflicts analysed in the study, and the international community has the advantage of working towards better
and more refined hybrid peacekeeping operations than those conducted in Darfur and
Somalia.Afrikaans: Dié studie doen ʼn ondersoek na die vraag of hibriede vredesbewaring of hedendaagse
vorme van VN-AU samewerking nuwe vooruitsigte of geleenthede bied aangaande
die uitdagings wat met internasionale vredesbewaring in Afrika verband hou. Die
studie analiseer ook die vraag of die internasionale gemeenskap tans na meer
doeltreffende en legitieme vredesbewaring beweeg deur middel van hibriede
vredesbewaring in Afrika. Aan die hand van ʼn histories-kritiese ondersoek met
betrekking tot gevalle-studies van vredesbewaring in Liberië, Burundi, Darfoer en
Somalië, ondersoek die studie die ontwikkeling en praktiese beslag van konsepte soos
R2P, mandate en regsgeldigheid, asook die VN en AU institusionele raamwerke vir
vredesbewaring.
Die studie het bevind dat vredesbewaring geskuif het om drie komponente in te sluit,
naamlik burgerlik, polisie en militêr, waardeur vredesbewaring multidimensioneel in
fokus en benadering geword het. Die samewerkende veiligheidsvennootskappe
tussen die VN, AU en streeksorganisasies, waaronder ECOWAS in Liberië en die AU
in Burundi, demonstreer voorts die betekenisvolheid van samewerkende
ondernemings om volhoubare vrede moontlik te maak. Die verhoudinge tussen
eersgenoemde organisasies, die VN en die AU, is van die grootste belang en moet
berus op samebindende en strategiese verhoudinge wat sistematies tot integrasie
gebring is.
Die implementering van hibriede vredesbewaringsoperasies lewer daarom nuwe
vooruitsigte en geleenthede waar die VN en die AU die voordele wat sulke operasies
bied, kan aanwend met betrekking tot die uitdagings wat die hoof gebied moet word.
Die studie toon hoe beperkte tradisionele intervensies gelei het tot innoverende
hibridisering en wys ook op die behoefte vir verdere verfyning. Die gevolgtrekking is
dat die tekort aan hulpbronne en politieke tekortkominge van die AU kan baat by ʼn
behoorlike en gedeelde internasionale verantwoordelikheid vir vredesbewaring en dit
wat voordelig is aangaande hibridisering.
Die studie se slotsom is dat die VN en die AU se verhouding en samewerking oor die
afgelope twee dekades betekenisvolle stappe verteenwoordig sover dit wedersydse bydraes betref om volhoubare vrede in Afrika moontlik te maak. Die lesse wat geleer
is in Liberië, Burundi, Darfoer en Somalië bied ook ʼn fondasie aan die VN en die AU
om hulle benadering te verbeter. Lesse kan geleer word uit die konflikte wat in die
studie geanaliseer is en die internasionale gemeenskap het nou die voordeel om te
werk vir beter en meer verfynde hibriede vredesbewaringsoperasies na afloop van dit
wat in Darfoer en Somalië afgespeel het
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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