CIVIL SOCIETY AND VIOLENCE—HOW TO MANAGE IN THE TOWNSHIPS WITHOUT THE ARMY

This article discusses the validity of national security threats in Botswana and whether they justified the creation of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS), which has been controversial since its formation. Since its inception in 2008, the DISS has been accused of many human rights violations and politicisation. Without fully deliberating on the basis for its creation, some discourses have focused on the politicised operations without relation to what the DISS is supposed to be doing. The author works under the assumption that debates should be shaped by whether it was necessary to create the DISS, and, if so, how we can shape and steer debates on its oversight, management, reform and operations. This article argues that despite the politicisation of the DISS, Botswana's national security threats are both real and imagined; and that domestic threats to national security have moved from the conceptual ‘imagined’ category to the ‘real’. However, that in itself did not warrant the design and mandate of the DISS, and the article argues that it was external threats that really warranted the creation of a civilian intelligence agency. The article concludes that Botswana faces a plethora of external security threats – traditional and non-traditional – that warranted the creation and continuance of the DISS.     

Africa's toy soldiers,non-state armed groups,and ‘voluntary’ recruitment

Armed conflict on the African continent has witnessed increasing recruitment of child soldiers, often at the hands of non-state armed groups. Unfortunately this practice continues unabated in the face of legal obligations prohibiting the recruitment of child soldiers under international humanitarian law, and international and regional human rights law. While international condemnation of the practice has led to attempts to increase the minimum age for recruitment to 18, a disjuncture persists between the legal obligations states sign up to, and the actual enforcement of these prohibitions at a domestic level.

International criminal law jurisprudence emanating from the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court is being monitored closely, as these courts seek to enforce the prohibition in all armed conflicts, and against both state actors and non-state armed groups. International humanitarian law only protects child soldiers who have been unlawfully recruited. In this piece, the authors take a closer look at what amounts to unlawful recruitment in light of customary international humanitarian law, since this body of law also binds non-state actors, even without further criminalising legislation at a domestic level. Moreover, the article briefly explores whether a child can ever void this protected status by volunteering to participate directly in hostilities.     

SAVING THE NPT

For more than forty years, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has provided major security benefits to the international community; however, the treaty is suffering from internal and external pressures, and benign neglect on the part of its members is undermining its authority. To ensure the treaty's continued viability, it is time for member states to start showing the NPT the respect it deserves and to renew their commitments to its fundamental purposes. Achieving this requires remedial action in at least four areas of vulnerability: reinvigorating nuclear disarmament; strengthening nonproliferation; overcoming the NPT's institutional deficit; and fostering a rapprochement between NPT and non-NPT states that does not abandon the goal of treaty universalization. There is still time before the 2010 NPT Review Conference for concerted action to restore the NPT's vitality and for the United States to resume its leadership role on behalf of the treaty and its membership.     

Reforming the notion of national sovereignty by external intervention

In principle, national sovereignty is the right of a nation to govern its internal affairs without foreign interference. In practice, it is defined by one's interpretation of international law, which may permit legal external intervention under some circumstances, ultimately removing a nation's sovereignty. This paper will examine the current system of international law outlined by the United Nations, analyse the ambiguities contained within its Charter and elaborate on how external intervention can be justified. The case-study of recent developments related to Libya will demonstrate that the manner in which international law is interpreted is changing the notion of principles of sovereignty.     

Identifying the spoilers in the security sector reform – disarmament demobilisation and reintegration process in the Congo

The Congolese security sector reform – disarmament demobilisation and reintegration (SSR-DDR) process has suffered from setbacks in its military sector during the last 10 years, such as insufficient funding, lack of coordination and domestic reluctance to major changes, with as a result, a very fragile and disjointed Army. These problems have deepened as officers have defected from the Army and caused new instability in the East of the Congo. This article aims to analyse the recent mutinies and the reaction by the Congolese government by applying a capabilities-based approach in combination with a typology of spoilers. The objective is to identify and classify the spoilers and answer the questions of why they emerge now and how they are dealt with on a national level. From the analysis, the author suggests that there are several spoilers involved in the current situation – the most powerful being the Congolese and the Rwandan governments, prompting the question of whether an international involvement is necessary to solve the problem.     

弹丸初速对磁阻型线圈发射器发射性能的影响分析

通过设置弹丸初速并研究其对单级磁阻型线圈发射器发射性能的影响,模拟分析前一级线圈弹丸出口速度对后一级线圈发射性能影响的规律;利用Ansoft有限元仿真软件进行了动态仿真,得到弹丸初速对单级磁阻型线圈发射器驱动电流、驱动线圈感应电压、电磁力、弹丸出VI速度、弹丸位移及能量转换效率等影响的规律．研究表明：弹丸初速越大,经过单级线圈加速后弹丸出口速度也越大,但弹丸出口速度增量减小;随着弹丸初速增大,能量转换效率呈现先增大后减小的趋势．     

基于ANSYS的舰船武器装备基准变化分析方法

舰船武器装备基准在外界环境作用下产生变化,从而影响武器系统的打击精度。应用ANSYS平台建立舰船有限元模型,利用三维波浪载荷的计算方法模拟航行条件下的波浪力,研究了舰船甲板面武器装备基准在两种极限海况下的变化情况,发现针对此类舰船横摇使武器装备基准产生较大的变化,并且靠近尾部和两舷位置处装备的基准变化较为显著。仿真结果表明：当舰船在风浪中航行使用武器系统时,应尽量采取顶浪航行,减少舰船横摇对武器系统基准的影响。     

太阳能光电热系统换热器性能实验研究

设计了新型半圆管形式的不锈钢板式换热器,对其作为太阳能光电热综合利用一体化系统集热组件的性能进行实验研究。通过新型集热光电热组件及光电组件系统的对比实验,研究该光电热组件在重庆地区夏季应用情况,分析其光电和光热特性。结果表明:在以晴朗为主的天气,半圆管形式的不锈钢板式光电热组件电热系统的电热性能与光电组件系统的相比较,前者的太阳能电池输出功率提高约26.48%,热利用效率提高23.70%以上,新型半圆管形式的光电热组件整体光电热(光电+光热)综合效率可达到25.70%,有效提高了光电热系统的综合效率。新型半圆管形式不锈钢板式换热器的换热面积增大,提高了换热效率,为太阳能光电热综合利用一体化系统在重庆等太阳辐射强度较小地区的应用提供了参考。     

色空间对HDRI亮度测量方法的影响

相机内置预处理环节中的白平衡、色度空间转换是数码成像过程中的重要环节,sRGB和Adobe RGB是数码相机2种常用的色空间.为进一步研究色空间对HDRI亮度测量方法的影响,在荧光灯照明的实验室,分别利用sRGB和Adobe RGB色空间对色板成像,测量该亮度测量方法中各色板的标定因数,计算各色板标定因数的相对不确定度.实验结果表明:2种不同色空间获得的标定因数不同,且Adobe RGB色空间标定因数相对不确定度的平均值小于sRGB色空间的;色空间改变后,标定因数需要重新进行标定,且优先选用色域较宽的Adobe RGB色空间.     

基于流体体积模型的双层油罐渗漏数值模拟

为了对钢制强化玻璃纤维制双层油罐贯通间隙空间进行优化设计,针对目前市场上主流双层油罐间隙空间的结构特点,应用计算流体力学数值模拟软件CFD,基于多相流流体体积模型,对双层油罐内罐发生渗漏后渗漏液体在贯通间隙空间的流动特点进行模拟计算。计算结果表明：液体在间隙空间流动时,其表面力对流动的影响占支配作用,体积力的作用可以忽略;当间隙垫片之间的距离≥0.8 mm,其对液体流动的阻碍作用开始减弱;主流双层油罐间隙空间的设计不合理,无法将油罐渗漏液体尽快引流到间隙底部。最后,根据液体在间隙空间的流动特点,对双层油罐间隙空间的设计提出了改进措施。