Reviews of M Sadria Study Group on Human Security

Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native

2007-01-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

by PATRICK WOLFE.

Journal of Genocide Research (2006), 8(4), December, 387–409

"The question of genocide is never far from discussions of settler colonialism. Land is life – or, at least, land is necessary for life. Thus contests for land can be – indeed, often are – contests for life." Page 387

If in the previous post we asked where the bottom started, this author makes very clear where it ends. Or where it keeps ending, or systematically disintegrated. In other words, this article explains the how, and why the denial of Human Security to a specific people is being reproduced.

"On the one hand, settler society required the practical elimination of the natives in order to establish itself on their territory. On the symbolic level, however, settler society subsequently sought to recuperate indigeneity in order to express its difference—and, accordingly, its independence—from the mother country." Page 389

"When invasion is recognized as a structure rather than an event, its history does not stop—or, more to the point, become relatively trivial—when it moves on from the era of frontier homicide." Page 402

The author makes a thorough analysis of United States, Australia, Europe and Israel cases in order to understand a subtle "logic of elimination" around the conquest of territories, leading to the "structural genocide" that passes in front of our eyes, mostly unnoticed. In conclusion, a must for Human Security studies.

Where do the bottom start? Regional perspectives on Human Security

2007-01-15T01:39:00.000-08:00

Case of Balkans

Regional Perspectives on Human Security have particular importance for any bottom up efforts in re-articulating social-cultural factors specific to a region, which if considered could empower social actors concerned with the process of empowerment. As one could easily notice in call for papers here bellow, the social-cultural, as well as bottom-up concerns are, again fading away. What is left for the substance of Human Security, theoretically as well as practically in this case?

CALL FOR PAPERS

"SECOND CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SECURITY, TERRORISM & ORGANISED CRIME IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: REALITIES, RISKS AND RESPONSES", 4-6 October 2007, Sarajevo

Titles of proposed papers, plus abstracts of approximately 300 words are invited no later than 31 March 2007.

The HUMSEC project, invites suggestions for presentations at this conference to be held in Sarajevo, 4-6 October 2007. The working language of the conference will be English and all presentations/ papers will be in English. Suggestions received by 31 March 2007 will enjoy priority consideration by a conference-planning group in Podgorica in late April. Applicants will be contacted (by email) with a response, and possibly with a suggestion for fine-tuning. Submissions received later may be considered, depending on the fullness of the conference programme by that time.

Please study the Conference Themes, then follow the Submission Procedure below.

CONFERENCE THEMES

The second conference of the HUMSEC project focuses on the multiple interactions among transnational illegal organizations, state institutions, and the civil society in the Balkan region, and how these influence post-conflict capacity building. Contributions by regional experts, comparativists and theory-oriented social scientists, as well as governmental and non-governmental practitioners are particularly welcome.

Presentations may cover one or more of the following:

Thematic Bloc 1: The Rise and Demise of Transnational Terrorist and Criminal Organizations
1.1 The emergence and proliferation of transnational terrorist and criminal organzations
1.2 The role of external actors in the Balkan region
1.3 Political and economic agendas of non-state violent actors: Greed, grievance, or both?
1.4 Deconstructing and reconstructing designations:"terrorism","organized crime", "legality", and "human security"

Thematic Bloc 2: Conflict and the Transformation of State and Society
2.1 Public and private responses to political violence and the Security Sector reform
2.2 The strategic interactions of networks, international and local actors, and the role of borderlands in post- conflict societies
2.3 Peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflicting agendas in counter-terrorism and counter-crime policies
2.4 Legitimacy, efficiency, and implementation gaps in post-conflict capacity building

Thematic Bloc 3: Strategies of Repoliticization and Reintegration of Conflict Actors
3.1 Mechanisms of actors´ transformation during and after conflict settlement
3.2 Incentives to prevent conflict actors from becoming spoilers to the peacebuiding process
3.3 The dynamics of institutional inclusion and exclusion of conflict actors
3.4 Unintended Consequences of counter-crime and counter-terror strategies.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Each presentation at the conference will be in English language and will be expected to take 15-20 minutes, before discussion. Please submit your suggestion for a presentation by using the
online form.
You may submit one or two proposals. It is unlikely that two presentations would be accepted from the same person or institution, however you may wish to offer alterna-tives. If wishing to submit two proposals, please make two separate submissions.

This call is issued on behalf of the project coordinator and the members of the HUMSEC 2 group.
Ludwig-Maximilians- University (HUMSEC 2 coordinator),
Danish Centre for International Studies and Human Rights,
University of Montenegro,
University of Sarajevo,
University of Graz,
University of Shkoder Luigj Gurakuqi.

------------ --------- -----
Maddalena Vivona

HUMSEC Project Manager
Schubertstrasse 29/1
8010 Graz
Austria

Tel: +43 316 322888 21
Fax: +43 316 322888 4
Website: www.humsec.eu

The HUMSEC Project is supported by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme "Integrating and Strengthening the European Reserach Area".

Influence And Opportunity: Reflections On The U.S. Role In Global Public Health

2006-10-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

by Ilona Kickbusch. HEALTH A F FA I R S ~ Vo l u m e 2 1 , Nu m b e r 6. November/December 2002. Page 131 to 141
content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/21/6/131.pdf

"These are illustrations of the present U.S. tendency to move out of multilateral approaches and toward reinforcing global unilateralism at a time when many of the health issues require a truly global response and the cooperation of many actors. In health, as in other arenas, the United States retreats when it sees a threat to its own economic or domestic policy interests, including upcoming elections. The United States is not particularly active in support of the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, despite having some of the most restrictive laws within its own borders. It has supported industry positions during the negotiations on TRIPS (Agreements on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), and it sided with a group of nondemocratic governments at a recent UN Special Summit on Children on matters of reproductive health, despite being a world champion on human rights. Increasingly, it seems that the U.S. domestic agenda is driving the global agenda." (Pages 136-137)

The author makes a concise analysis of the U.S. role in the different trends on international health, remarking its relation with the internal affairs. Doing this, doctor Kickbusch shows the blurred the line that divides a policy from being domestic to foreign has turned to be, making clear which of these is the critical issue when trying to work out global initiatives. I recommend this article to get a good insight of the real possibility of a world social contract and the recognition of the global public goods by looking through the eye of one of the most important actors. Also to have some clues about a very vulnerable social minority who have not got the enough attention or any help from the international community: those who elect the most powerful decision makers of the world.

Oscar Andres Gomez Salgado
First Year Master Student Human Security and Environment Program Professor Kimura Laboratory Tohoku University
fy06028@mail.kankyo.tohoku.ac.jp

Review Now

2006-10-08T03:41:00.000-07:00

Pereira, Colombia

In order to not only share our discussions, but also what we are based on to make them, this new space is intended to show you the papers and authors who guide our research. Again, feel free to participate, make your comments, critics or suggestions.