1,720,989 research outputs found
Jihadist insurgency, Civilians' Targeting, and Conflict Dynamics in the Sahel: A Case Study of Burkina Faso
No full textThis study addresses a theoretical and empirical puzzle that both counterterrorism practitioners and scholars experience, namely the uncertainty surrounding terrorist attacks against civilians and the logic guiding such attacks. This dissertation offers a case study of Al Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) affiliates operating in Burkina Faso in West Africa's Sahel region. This study addresses the following two research questions: first, why do these so-called jihadist groups target noncombatant civilians?, and second, how have their attacks against civilians impacted the various stakeholders’ responses and the dynamics of the conflicts that fuel the violence? To investigate these questions, the study employs mixed research methods by collecting, carefully triangulating, and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data gathered from various sources: four datasets, jihadists’ statements, semi-structured interviews with 27 key informants, and an online survey with more than 100 respondents from Burkina Faso. Then, it resorts to different analytical techniques to identify trends and patterns in the terrorist attacks against civilians, the targets' characteristics, and the perpetrators' modus operandi and motivations. About the targets of terrorists’ attacks, the data analysis reveals significant variations in the numbers of terrorist incidents and the fatalities when one compares these incidents by target type, by year, and by geographic region. The findings of this case study suggest that there is a strong association between the terrorist targeting of civilians and some factors such as the geographic location, the targets’ profile, the perpetrators’ ideology, or strategic objectives. In most incidents, civilians have been selected and attacked by jihadist militants based on: 1) their being perceived as a threat, 2) their attractiveness, and 3) their accessibility. Violence against civilians by jihadist groups and government counterterrorism forces has also been used as an instrument of social control aiming at setting standards of acceptable conduct and punishing behavioral deviation. Moreover, this case study demonstrates that the perpetrators were motivated by: (i) strategic objectives, including financial profit; (ii) psychological and personal reasons; (iii) ideological-religious reasons based on a military interpretation of the Islamic concept of Jihad, and lastly, (iv) unknown or mixed motives. Furthermore, the study assesses the humanitarian, economic, social, political, and geopolitical impacts of the terrorist crisis and shows how terrorism may damage interpersonal, intergroup, and inter-state relationships without helping its perpetrators achieve their policy goals. The study closes with a critical review of policy options, although further research is needed for establishing an early warning system for civilians’ protection in the Sahel.This work is embargoed by the author and will not be publicly available until 2024-08-31
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Uncovering the Social Reintegration of Former Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Full text linkThis dissertation explores reintegration programs for former child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), emphasizing the roles of social identity, social capital, and children's rights to participation and agency as useful components of successful social reintegration. Using a narrative approach, the research delves into the experiences of former child soldiers, insights from community leaders, and contributions from national and international NGOs to reveal the multifaceted challenges of reintegration. While existing Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs in the DRC have made strides in disarmament and economic support, they often neglect necessary social dimensions such as stigma reduction, communal acceptance, and relational healing. This study centers on integrating cultural practices, including traditional cleansing rituals and community reconciliation ceremonies, into reintegration strategies. It underscores the importance of addressing family dynamics and fostering gender-sensitive approaches to support female child soldiers who face compounded stigma and marginalization. The research further advocates for community-led reconciliation processes, systemic governance reforms, and economic empowerment initiatives to create sustainable pathways for reintegration. Building on existing scholarship, this work offers a multidimensional framework tailored to the DRC’s unique sociocultural and political context. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, presenting actionable recommendations for improving DDR programs. By advancing a comprehensive and culturally responsive approach, this dissertation contributes to post-conflict recovery efforts, ensuring that reintegration programs holistically address the economic, social, and emotional needs of former child soldiers. This research not only critiques existing models but provides a forward-looking vision for achieving sustainable reintegration and societal healing in conflict-affected regions
Eight Years of Inaction: An Examination of the Struggle Between State Self-Interest and Defending Human Rights in Darfur
Full text linkThe purpose of this thesis is to answer the following question: What role has state self-interest played in the ongoing conflict in Darfur? Through research and analysis, the thesis will examine the policy decisions over the last eight years of Sudan, China, and the United States regarding Darfur and the whole of Sudan. In addition, it aims to discuss the international community’s response to the conflict as a whole, along with the creation of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and of the International Criminal Court. This thesis serves to unite discourse on influential international actors and the crisis in Darfur, and to finely assess the primary role that state self-interest has played over the last eight years in Sudan
Variations on the Author
Full text link“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
Identity, Values, and the American Tea Party
Full text linkThis thesis examines the value-commitments that drove the activism of fourteen Virginia Tea Party members in 2010. The personal narratives of these fourteen Tea Party members informed a loose "theory" about Tea Party activism, namely that: The Tea Party‘s narrow conception of American identity, Americanism, was the primary value-commitment that drove the group‘s political activism. Aspects of social identity theory help frame the arc of the analysis with particular focus on Tea Party group identity and collective axiology. I argue that freedom and opportunity make up the principle values in the Tea Party‘s collective axiology, or shared value system. The Tea Partiers‘ commitment to these twin values of freedom and opportunity are expressed in one significant way as threat narratives, which I have summarized and coined as: socialism, burgeoning debt crisis, and bleak future (pessimism). The second half of the thesis looks at "Tea Party as religion" with an analysis of those features of Tea Party identity that hint of a fundamentalist-like orientation. I argue that the Tea Party in 2010 displayed a form of political fundamentalism, centered on notions of Constitutional purity, liberty, and the free market system. I also expand on the idea of "Americanism" and posit that for the Tea Partiers, Tea Party identity was simply an extension of their American identity. For the Tea Party members, their American identity was their most salient identity and they were fully invested in their belief of American exceptionalism. The thesis concludes by revisiting the Tea Partiers‘ value-commitment to opportunity by analyzing their chief concern of maintaining a viable American future for their children and grandchildren. The Tea Party phenomenon is emblematic of an intractable values-based conflict that is at once very personal yet far-reaching - with likely national implications
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe 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
Mobile Unrest: Assessing the Impact of Mobile ICTs on The Egyptian Social Movement of 2011
Full text linkIn an ever-evolving technological landscape, conflict analysis and resolution (CAR) practitioners are faced with the unique task of working in a rapidly changing landscape that is susceptible to the reliance on and impact of global information communication technologies (ICTs). Within the last few years, mobile ICTs such as Facebook, Twitter and SMS have played a prominent role in social movement activities; providing CAR practitioners with an opportunity to study and to research how collective action is shaped by the purposeful use of mobile ICTs. This Masters thesis seeks to better understand the relationship and interplay between mobile ICT use and social movements by asking: how does the use of mobile ICTs impact the behaviour of social movement participants? With a focus on social movement activity in Egypt, this research seeks to understand if and how the use of mobile ICTs has impacted the scale, pace and pattern of the behaviour of participants engaged in social resistance. Informed through an extensive literature review and an interview based quantitative analysis, this research seeks to create a base of understanding that can be built upon through additional research and analysis. Mobile communication and ICT use is a pervasive means of communication throughout the world; its impact on conflict is still a touch elusive which makes this a moment ripe for analysis. The use of mobile ICTs is not a fading phenomenon, and as such, the CAR field is best served to begin understanding the power and implications of these evolving technologies and communication tools as they impact conflict and its resolution
Framing MH17: Comparing State-Funded Perspectives On A Plane Crash In An Area Of Tension
Full text linkThis thesis describes how two state-funded international news broadcasters covered the MH17 plane crash that happened on 17 July 2014 in the Donbas region in Ukraine. The two outlets chosen were the Russian broadcaster RT, which has been accused of being a Russian propaganda flagship, and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as benchmark. Due to the fact that Deutsche Welle’s CEO Limbourg had joined into these accusations and Germany’s membership to US-led NATO and EU, who have colliding interests with Russia in Ukraine and the conflict going on in the Donbas region, the coverage was examined on conflict framing, human interest framing, economic consequences framing, responsibility framing and propaganda framing. This framing analysis was conducted on the content of the two outlets’ online coverage over the first ten days following the incident. This thesis examines whether there is a significant difference in the coverage of events that indicates exclusive and unique propagandistic framing practices of RT
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