Rebellion and African Ethics

In this paper I draw on Thaddeus Metz’s pioneering work in African ethics, and particularly his account of the concept described by the terms ubuntu (Nguni languages), botho (Sotho-Tswana), hunhu (Shona) or utu (Swahili), to sketch an African normative understanding of the act of rebellion against the authority of the state. Most commonly articulated in the phrase “a person is a person through other persons”, ubuntu is interpreted by Metz as a unique communitarian moral principle which can be described in its essence as the claim that “actions are right, or confer ubuntu (humanness) on a person, insofar as they prize communal relationships, ones in which people identify with each other, or share a way of life, and exhibit solidarity toward one another, or care about each other’s quality of life”. On the face of it, this principle appears at odds with rebellions against state authority. Following Metz, I argue, however, that a deeper grasp of this principle does, in fact, provide a justification for instances of civilian rebellion against state authority, under appropriate circumstances.     

从《人民武装警察法》看武警部队执行任务的职权

《中华人民共和国人民武装警察法》（以下简称《人民武装警察法》）经十一届全国人大常委会第十次会议通过。《人民武装警察法》的颁布标志着武警部队正规化建设迈上了一个新的历史台阶。武警部队的任务与职能,在法律上有了明确的依据。为更好地促进武警部队依法完成各项任务,探讨武警部队执行任务的职权是十分必要的。     

对武警院校实施“特色办学”的前瞻与思考——以武警工程学院为例

在建设现代化武警的系统工程中,武警院校建设处于优先的地位。为了发挥好院校在建设现代化武警中的重要作用,必须确立“特色办学”理念,努力开创“特色办学”的新路子。本文论述了特色办学的重要意义,以武警工程学院为例,分析了武警院校特色办学的现状,对进一步实施特色办学、以特色拉动院校创新发展进行了前瞻与思考。     

浅析武警部队心理管理的基本途径

部队心理管理针对被管理者的心理活动规律,从激发被管理者的心理潜力入手,充分调动他们的主观能动性,实现部队的和谐管理。本文从心理管理的管理起点、建设重点、主要突破口、实现目标四个方面加以分析和阐述,试图对武警部队心理管理的本质和具体做法作以有益探索。     

The ligaments of counter-terrorism regime: sexual violence and the vicarious traumatisation of female non-governmental organisation workers: evidence from Nigeria

ABSTRACT

There is a dearth of studies on indirect victims of sexual violence in counter-terrorism efforts. Using Nigeria as a case study, this paper argues that global and state-level counter-terrorism policies have generally failed to account for the psychological effects of the engagement of female NGO workers in counter-terrorism operations or mitigating the effects of terrorism in conflict zones. Specifically, there has been an increase in sexual violence perpetrated by some members of the security agencies involved in counter-terrorism operations in North-eastern Nigeria. As a result, female NGO workers carry out Medicare, psychosocial counselling and advocacy for these victims. Female NGO workers become exposed to the trauma of victims of sexual violence, which affects their mental health and thus performances in counter-terrorism activities in the country. This altered their worldview on issues of safety even among secured locations or among the presence of security agents and reinforced feelings of powerlessness.     

Building the Somali National Army: Anatomy of a failure, 2008–2018

ABSTRACT

Over a decade of security force assistance (SFA) initiatives to build an effective Somali National Army (SNA) failed because of the interrelated effects of political, contextual and operational challenges. The key political challenges were interest asymmetry between international actors and Somali elites, insufficient focus on institution-building and a lack of donor coordination. The principal contextual challenges in Somalia were the legacies of two decades of state collapse and the negative effects of clan dynamics. The main operational challenges were building an army while simultaneously fighting a war, the complexities of military integration, and the severe capability gaps afflicting the SNA.