Turning the tides of war: The impact of private military and security companies on Nigeria’s counterinsurgency against Boko Haram

Since the 2003 war in Iraq, private military and security companies (PMSCs) have become increasingly legitimate actors in modern conflicts. Despite this normative shift, rumours in March 2015 regarding the use of South African mercenaries in Nigeria to combat Boko Haram insurgents caused an international outrage, while the Nigerian government remained nonchalantly silent on the matter. This article investigates the impact of mercenaries on the conflict in the last six months of the Jonathan government. Using primary and secondary qualitative research, it assesses the role that PMSCs played in Nigeria’s counterinsurgency strategy, along with the ensuing reaction of international and local media to the outsourcing of violence to foreign companies. The article concludes that – notwithstanding the improved image of PMSCs in the world, and the actual impact of the contractors on the Nigerian counterinsurgency effort – the stigma of mercenaries continues to plague the industry, particularly on the African continent.     

Regional responses to security and development challenges in East and Southern Africa: lessons and way forward

Since the mid-twentieth century, the East and Southern African regions have been mired in complex and overlapping security and development challenges, including ethnopolitical conflicts, terrorist insurgencies, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALWs), and overwhelming economic crisis. These challenges have had implications for human security, socio-economic development, territorial authority, sovereignty and the stability and legitimacy of political regimes in the affected states. The adequacy and relevance of the regional responses to these challenges is the subject of ongoing debate, to which this paper now adds. Among other factors, this paper identifies competition for regional dominance and institutional inadequacies as accounting for the inability of regional governance bodies to respond adequately to the challenges they face. Consequently, it recommends the expansion of the mandate of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) beyond regional economic integration to include peacebuilding and a deepening of the institutional efforts focused on security cooperation and conflict management.     

Herdsmen militancy and humanitarian crisis in Nigeria: A theoretical briefing

This article explores the phenomenon of herdsmen militancy as a new trajectory for the farmer–herder crisis in Nigeria, with reference to its humanitarian implications. Relying on a systematic analysis of secondary data and aligning with the analytical anchorage of liberal political ecology theory, the article posits that herdsmen militancy depicts a contradiction in agrarian relations in the context of a national security crisis which has been complicated by salient socio-ecological factors such as climate change, armed violence, and identity politics. In view of the dire humanitarian consequences of this situation, the article submits that herdsmen militancy constitutes a major threat to human and national security in Nigeria. It makes a case for a pragmatic policy capable of mitigating the myriad socio-ecological factors that tend to trigger herdsmen militancy, with prohibition on open grazing in critical hotbeds of herder–farmer conflict as a strategic measure.     

话语体系与国家安全

话语体系是当今人文社会科学研究的热词,也已成为影响国家安全的一个重要因子。论文首先介绍话语体系的概念及其特点,报告了话语体系研究的缘起和发展脉络、主要学科与核心关键词以及主要相关文献,并对当前研究现状进行总结。分析了话语体系与国家的关系,并从国家的主体思想、发展道路、身份特质、文化自信、文明追求、话语权等方面阐述了话语体系对国家安全的重要性。论文指出,话语体系是影响国家安全的重要领域,也是国家之间博弈的重要阵地。     

反辐射及抗反辐射导弹的技术现状及前景

以反辐射导弹技术发展为前提,综述抗反辐射导弹的技术措施及发展途径。     

一种增强嵌入式系统安全性的安全防护技术*

由于嵌入式应用环境的多样性,单纯软件或硬件安全技术或者安全产品的功能和性能都有其局限性,只能满足某类系统的特定安全需求。因此,如何有效利用软硬件技术特点,通过协同防护来保障系统的安全已成为当前信息安全领域的研究热点。通过对嵌入式系统安全威胁和隐患的分析,在此基础上提出一种可以提高嵌入式系统安全性的软硬协同安全防护技术。该技术通过硬件检测、软件处理、综合治理的方法,可以有效地增强嵌入式系统抗击本身缺陷和恶意攻击的能力。     

一类非完整系统的输出反馈控制问题研究

针对一类具有虚拟控制方向和非线性不确定项的非完整系统,研究了其输出反馈控制器的设计问题。采用状态转换技术和反推方法,设计了只依赖于输出值的输出反馈控制器。同时为了处理初值为零的情况,提出了基于第一个子系统输出值的切换控制策略,通过仿真算例说明了控制器的有效性。     

中以要人警卫差异之比较

要人安全是世界各国国家安全的重要组成部分。中以要人安全警卫差异主要表现在工作理念、权力地位、后勤保障、选拔训练、情报运行和危险评估等方面。中以要人警卫差异源于不同的文化传统、政治制度和国内外环境,各有优缺点,我们要立足本国,积极改革创新使我国要人警卫工作机制更加完善。     

金融危机对我国社会稳定的影响及对策

金融危机的爆发和蔓延对我国实体经济造成了严重冲击,境内外敌对势力趁机发难,人民内部矛盾被“催化”,经济领域的违法活动凸显,公安机关作为我国的重要维稳力量,应增强维稳意识,提高执法素养;深入推进社区和农村警务战略;强化情报建设、舆论引导和群众工作;坚持科技强警,完善各项维稳预案。以积极的策略应对金融危机对我国社会稳定的影响。     

情报信息主导警卫工作研究

全力推进警务信息化是公安“三项建设”的重要内容,情报信息建设则是公安警卫部队（以下简称警卫部队）信息化建设的重中之重。深刻认识情报信息对于警卫工作的重要性,抓住警卫情报信息建设的基础环节,健全和完善警卫情报信息机制建设,加强警卫情报信息的获取、分析、研判、预警、管理和应用,强化情报信息交流、协作和共享,对于确保警卫目标安全具有重要的现实意义。