THE CHANGING MEANING OF SMALL ARMS IN NUER SOCIETY

The economic value, social status and symbolic meaning of small arms are particular and temporal in nature. This is demonstra ted through a historical account of the dynamics of cultural change and adaptation in Nuer society. Specifically, the article shows how attitudes towards small arms shif ted over time from a positive valuation of guns as prestigious objects, to ambivalence between the need for protection and the experience of increased local lawlessness and violence. More generally, it demonstrates how weapon-rela ted activities can only be fully understood when seen against a specific cultural background. Even if the display, use and circulation of weapons appear to carry cross-cultural references, typically as expressions of power and masculine identity, the meaning is always primarily local. Therefore, strategies to reduce the destructive impact of small arms through demand side programs, based on voluntary participation, can only be carried out successfully if built on an in-depth understanding of a particular cultural context.     

NEW TERRORISM

New or contemporary international terrorism associated with Islamic fundamentalism and the struggle against Zionism and American interests is a recent phenomenon in Kenya, different to that experienced during the struggle against colonialism. Many explanations have been offered as to why Kenya is being targeted, but have not sufficiently explored its close relationship with the West—especially Britain and the United States, the perceived connection between Israel and the former Presidency of Daniel Arap Moi, domestic forces and government policy. Externally the most important explanations for the increase in regional terrorism are the three waves of global terrorism since 1967, the most recent and significant of which is associated with Osama bin Laden and the Palestinian Intifada. These events reverberated in the region, Sudan and Somalia in particular, but also internally. Both internal and external attribution factors explain the resurgence of new terrorism in Africa. In the case of Kenya, terrorist attacks are associated with the country's internal domestic processes and a naïve approach to broader international issues.     

Comparative analysis of Arab Spring determinants

The Arab Spring, a pro-democracy uprising that has been sweeping through North Africa and the entire Arab world since 2010, has been described as a cataclysmic revolutionary wave that has left the overthrow of political regimes in its wake. Studies have comprehensively x-rayed the political and socio-economic circumstances that gave rise to the uprising. Apart from the impact of the uprising on political developments and democratic governance in the Arab world in particular and the world in general, the circumstances that resulted in the revolutions constitute empirical security implications for Nigeria. This is the focus of this article. Using the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) and other selected indicators, this article draws a comparative analysis of the key factors that led to the uprisings in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, pointing out areas of social and security tensions in Nigeria. Based on these findings, it points out the urgency of and imperative for security sector reforms in Nigeria.     

Political opposition,external threats,and elite responses: analyzing domestic security policy in post-Rose Revolution Georgia

In the years since the 2003 Rose Revolution, the popularly elected leadership of the Republic of Georgia has responded to organized protests with a variety of repressive tactics. These reactions suggest that former challengers to authoritarian elites may utilize similar methods of retaining power during crisis periods. Yet, the alleged involvement of agencies of the Russian Federation in fomenting domestic instability has also occupied a central position in the national security policies of the outgoing Saakashvili government. These conditions both preceded and were reinforced by the South Ossetia War of August 2008. This article proposes a theoretical model that represents the intervening effect of interstate conflicts on state–society relations in Georgia from 2003 to present. It presents several hypotheses and possible indicators, data sources, and techniques for analyzing the interaction between characteristics of opposition groups, external threats, and the domestic security practices of contemporary Georgian political elites.     

新疆边境地区维稳情报基础工作研究

新疆边境地区的社会治安稳定关系到整个新疆乃至全国的安全稳定。当前,影响新疆边境地区稳定的因素较多,主要有境内外极端势力的暴力恐怖活动、经济发展不平衡、周边国家局势不稳等等。在新疆边境地区的维稳工作中,情报基础工作是前提和先导,对于维护新疆边境地区的稳定具有重要的作用。新疆边境地区维稳情报基础工作包括情报的收集、传递、核查、研判。当前,随着公安信息化建设不断深入和情报主导警务战略的全面实施,新疆边境地区维稳情报基础工作应成为维稳工作的常态化内容,在维稳工作中得到广泛应用。     

重大活动警卫工作反恐防范对策

重大活动警卫工作头绪多、任务重、影响大,面临的恐怖袭击风险高。警卫部门必须清醒认识当前反恐形势的严峻性,认真研究重大活动警卫工作的反恐防范措施：完善情报工作机制,实现预警预控;强化社会治安综合整治,夯实警卫基础工作;严格各项警卫安全措施,确保绝对安全;加强反恐力量建设,增强反恐处突能力;加强国际合作,借鉴其他国家的先进经验。     

融心理学于高校思想政治教育的探索与研究

在新形势下,心理学知识与思想政治教育结合是一个必然的发展趋势。在思想政治教育中引入心理学,既尊重思想政治教育者的客观性,又有助于科学的把握教育者与被教育者互动的心理规律。思想政治教育者在开展工作中善于分析高校学生的心理健康的原因,并且能够提出解决策略。努力提高自身的综合素质,重视情感因素,通过了解学生的个体差异、从众心理、逆反心理等更好的引导学生,培养学生健全的人格和正确的思想认识方向,以实现思想政治教育的最终目标,提高当代大学生的全面素质。     

论现代大学治理下的权力配置

中国特色的现代大学治理是大学政党权力、行政权力、学术权力等多元权力优化配置和协调平衡的制度保障;现代大学治理下如何处理和配置好大学的多元权力,构建现代大学治理下的权力保障制度,应建立多方参与的董事会制度、党政联席会议制度、教授主导下的学术制度、教师学生参与决策管理的监事会议制度等。     

合作学习理论在外语教学中的应用——以“澳大利亚课堂教学”为例

在阐释合作学习理论的基础上,分析了合作式教学的基本特征,并以澳大利亚英语课堂教学活动为例,探讨如何运用合作互动型模式提高外语学习效果。该理论的应用为改进学生英语课堂参与行为及参与模式提供教学启示。