From Westphalian Failure to Heterarchic Governance in MENA: The Case of Syria

Abstract

The problematic export of the Westphalian system to MENA is examined, taking Syria as exemplar. The export model is juxtaposed to actual non-lineal trajectories, semi-sovereignty and hybrid or failing states. This is manifested in post-uprising Syria in failing statehood, fragmented and overlapping governance, permeable and collapsing borders, the loss of sovereignty to trans-state movements, “competitive regime-building” between the Asad regime and jihadist warlords, and “competitive interventionism” by external powers filling the governance vacuum with their own proxies. The result is heterarchic zones of limited statehood in which state sovereignty is contested by both international (supra-state) penetration and sub-state fragmentation.     

Carlo Bianco and Guerra per bande: an Italian approach to irregular warfare

Since the end of the Cold War, a huge debate over how war has been changing has emerged; a common feature is that modern conflicts are not state vs. state wars, but ‘irregular wars’. In order to better understand modern irregular warfare, it is important to analyse past authors and ideas. Carlo Bianco’s concept of Guerra per bande highlights elements of mobility with different cooperating units, of terror, and of complex terrain. The present study offers the first English analysis of Carlo Bianco and underlines the similarities of his work to the hybrid warfare concept.     

五阶HWCNS在低速复杂流场中的应用

采用五阶精度显式混合加权紧致非线性格式求解雷诺平均NS方程;利用多块对接结构网格技术,对30P-30N多段翼型进行网格收敛性研究。在不考虑转捩的情况下,采用SA一方程湍流模型研究混合加权紧致非线性格式与二阶精度MUSCL格式对该翼型压力分布和典型站位速度型的影响,并与实验结果进行对比分析。采用混合加权紧致非线性格式和SA一方程湍流模型模拟梯形翼高升力构型低速复杂流场,通过对总体气动特性和压力分布的分析,探讨五阶精度显式混合加权紧致非线性格式在低速复杂外形流动中的应用能力。结果表明,对30P-30N三段翼型,采用全湍流模拟方法可以得到较好的压力分布;对梯形翼高升力构型,在附着流和边界层小分离情况下混合加权紧致非线性格式有较好的模拟能力。     

Hybrid warfare through the lens of strategic theory

Hybrid warfare is the latest of the terms/concepts that have been used within the defence community in the last three decades to label contemporary warfare. It has been officially adopted in the core strategic documents of NATO, EU and national governments and has already inspired many articles, policy papers and books; however, this paper is unique in the sense that it analysis the hybrid warfare concept through the lens of strategic theory. It is argued that hybrid warfare does not merit the adoption as a doctrinal concept. Strategic theory instead, which lies at the nexus of all dimensions of warfare, provides a better viewpoint to approach contemporary warfare. It concludes that efforts should be directed towards exploring warfare under the light of eternal principles instead of proving the emergence of new types of warfare.     

浅析达尔富尔和平进程及其面临的挑战

达尔富尔危机始于2003年2月。这场危机主要是由北方的游牧民与南方的定居农民之间对生存资源的争夺而引发的国内冲突。在国际社会的斡旋下，苏丹政府已与几个反政府武装签署了和平协议，并同意部署联合国-非盟混合维和行动，达尔富尔地区的和平进程已步入正轨。由于苏丹国内的复杂形势和困难，达尔富尔地区的和平进程仍面临诸多挑战，和平与和解之路仍然漫长。     

虚拟检测维修系统的设计与实现

结合实际装备维修工作的需求,开发了一套基于虚拟现实技术的具有一定通用性的虚拟维修训练系统。系统由界面层、应用层、对象层和技术支持层组成,运用OSG渲染创建逼真的场景,基于均匀网格和OBB树的混合碰撞检测算法解决碰撞问题,通过协同网络通信实现多人协作维修/检测操作。通过对某型装备手控台的虚拟维修训练系统的构建,证明系统能够快速开发相应的虚拟训练系统。训练过程中操作与场景变化实时同步,结果表明该系统能够有效提高操作人员的维修维护能力。     

War,vagueness and hybrid war

It has frequently been observed in the literature on hybrid wars that there is a grey zone between peace and war, and that hybrid wars are conflicts which are not clear cases of war. In this paper, I attempt to illuminate this grey zone and the concept and nature of war from the philosophical discussions of vagueness and institutional facts. Vague terms are characterized by the fact that there is no non-arbitrary boundary between entities which lie in their extension, and entities which do not lie in their extension. I apply a theory of vagueness to notions such as “war” and “peace” and go on to suggest that the exact boundary for what counts as a war or not is arbitrary. However, the context in which the conflict occurs determines a range of possible locations for this boundary. The most important contextual parameter is in this respect how the parties to the conflict themselves conceptualize the conflict. I suggest that this can in various ways help us understand grey-zone conflicts.     

混合隔振系统中电磁作动器的优化设计

由于混合隔振系统中的电磁作动器对电磁力、体积重量、损耗等指标有着严格的限制,因此电磁作动器的优化设计显得十分重要。为此,提出了电磁作动器系统参数(包括几何尺寸参数和电参数)的优化设计方法,推导了电磁作动器总损耗与系统参数间的关系。通过有限元分析软件ANSYS中的优化设计模块,使用ANSYS参数化设计语言建立了在保证电磁力及体积限制条件下,以总损耗最小为目标函数的三维参数化分析模型,多次循环迭代求解后得到了较为优化的系统参数。仿真及实验结果表明:按照该方法设计的电磁作动器能够满足各项设计指标要求,且性能比其他参数下更为优化。