An Ideological Response to Combating Terrorism – The Singapore Perspective

The article examines alternative strategies to combating the scourge of terrorism beyond military approaches. There is now more realization, especially after the difficulties experienced in Iraq today, that an innovative multi-pronged mix of methods is needed to combat international terrorism. The paper looks at an ideological response towards combating terrorism by looking at the Singapore experience. The Singapore government recognizes the importance of an ideological response as an integral part of counterterrorism measures. Terrorism occurs when opportunity, motivation and capability meet. The prevention of terrorism requires the elimination of at least one of these three factors- motivation- often driven by ideology. The paper will look at direct and indirect initiatives undertaken in Singapore to combat terrorism and will also look at the Muslim community in Singapore's response to the threat to Singapore society. Lastly, the article will examine some lessons learnt from the Singapore experience in applying an ideological approach in combating terrorism as well as some recommendations of what more can be done to move forward.     

Optimal shift scheduling: A branch‐and‐price approach

We present a branch‐and‐price technique for optimal staff scheduling with multiple rest breaks, meal break, and break windows. We devise and implement specialized branching rules suitable for solving the set covering type formulation implicitly, using column generation. Our methodology is more widely applicable and computationally superior to the alternative methods in the literature. We tested our methodology on 365 test problems involving between 1728 and 86400 shift variations, and 20 demand patterns. In a direct comparison with an alternative method, our approach yields significant improvements both in cpu time and in the number of problem instances solved to optimality. The improvements were particularly marked for problems involving larger numbers of feasible shifts. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 47: 185–200, 2000     

Scheduling with parallel processors and linear delay costs

This paper deals with the sequencing problem of minimizing linear delay costs with parallel identical processors. The theoretical properties of this m-machine problem are explored, and the problem of determining an optimum scheduling procedure is examined. Properties of the optimum schedule are given as well as the corresponding reductions in the number of schedules that must be evaluated in the search for an optimum. An experimental comparison of scheduling rules is reported; this indicates that although a class of effective heuristics can be identified, their relative behavior is difficult to characterize.     

THE NEXUS OF GLOBALIZATION AND NEXT-GENERATION NONPROLIFERATION

Although globalization has created opportunities for nuclear and biological proliferation dangers to take root and grow, it also has opened the door to new solutions. Original ideas and approaches are needed to develop a stronger, more flexible next-generation nonproliferation strategy that accounts for the increasingly important integration of economic, political, and technological issues. The foundation of this strategy should focus on tapping the power of market-based mechanisms, understanding how commercially driven decisions affect proliferation threats, establishing new partnerships, and forging cohesion among the current nonproliferation mechanisms. The implementation of such a strategy will require forceful leadership, a cultural shift from both policymakers and the range of stakeholders, and consensus building within the international community.     

Some recent findings in bayesian attribute single and double sampling

This article deals with several items, including theoretical and applied results. Specific topics include (1) a discrete, economically based, attributes acceptance sampling model and its adaptations, (2) relevant costs, (3) relevant prior distributions, (4) comparison of single- and double-sampling results, and (5) reasons for marginal implementation success following excellent implementation efforts. The basic model used is one developed by Guthrie and Johns; adaptations include provisions for fixed costs as well as modifications to permit double sampling. Optimization is exact, rather than approximate. Costs incorporated into the model are for sampling inspection, lot acceptance, and lot rejection. For each of these three categories a fixed cost is included as well as two variable costs, one for each item and the other for each defective item. Discrete prior distributions for the number of defectives in a lot are used exclusively. These include the mixed binomial and Polya distributions. Single- and double-sampling results are compared. Double sampling regularly performs at only slightly lower cost per lot than single sampling. Also, some cost and prior distribution sensitivity results are presented. Comments are provided regarding actual implementation experiences in industry. Practical deficiencies with the Bayesian approach are described, and a recommendation for future research is offered.     

Sequencing independent jobs with a single resource

This paper examines problems of sequencing n jobs for processing by a single resource to minimize a function of job completion times, when the availability of the resource varies over time. A number of well-known results for single-machine problems which can be applied with little or no modification to the corresponding variable-resource problems are given. However, it is shown that the problem of minimizing the weighted sum of completion times provides an exception.     

Control-variate selection criteria

For multiresponse simulations requiring point and confidence-region estimators of the mean response, we propose control-variate selection criteria that minimize mean-square confidence-region volume in two situations: (a) Only the mean control vector is known, and standard linear control-variate estimation procedures are used. (b) Covariances among controls are also known and are incorporated into new linear control-variate estimation procedures. An example illustrates the performance of these selection criteria.     

General Zuo’s counter-insurgency doctrine

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the career of one of the most notable of Chinese state officials in the mid-nineteenth century, General Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885) at a time when the Qing Empire was beset by enemies on all sides along with the massive Taiping Rebellion (1851–65). The paper explores how Zuo created a coherent and flexible counter-insurgency doctrine that underpinned his suppression of the Taipings, the Nian, Muslim rebels of the northwest and the defeat of a massive Sufi revolt in Central Asia. The paper also shows how Zuo helped convince the Russians to return territory they occupied in Central Asia, thereby preserving the territorial integrity of the Qing Empire in the region.