Historical and Political Background to the Erosion of the Rule of Law and Human Rights During Sri Lanka’s Civil War and the Way Forward

The Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) is regarded as a violent reflection of deepening divides along political and ethnic lines. During this civil war the Sri Lankan Government and its security forces have been implicated in unlawful killings carried out in a pervasive manner against civilians, whilst at the same time specifically targeting ethnic Tamils, humanitarian workers and journalists. The human rights of all citizens suffered as a result and ultimately led to the weakening of the rule of law. With the end of the civil war, the Sri Lankan Government has made little progress in providing accountability for wartime abuses. Its absence of and reluctance to ensure justice is seen as a logical culmination of decades of impunity. The importance of acknowledging historical behaviour and taking accountability for past violations will be discussed. In an analysis for paving the way to a new democracy in Sri Lanka, the main outcomes of this article are calls for accountability arising out of the government’s actions during the war; an investigation into the present state of human rights, the rule of law and finally; an examination into the political solution going forward to ensure a process of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence.     

The relevance of the Gulf of Guinea in global energy politics

Africa and for that matter the Gulf of Guinea cannot be indifferent to the global energy politics of the 21st century. The increasing importance of the region has attracted major actors in the energy sector. The competing interests of these actors are played out in various forms. This heightened interest in the region, especially with the discovery of oil in huge commercial quantities, has brought the importance of the area into focus in global oil politics. This paper looks at the importance of the region in light of the huge energy potentials of the Gulf of Guinea and how the institution of proper governance systems could serve as an important factor in ensuring the proper management of the resource.     

The cyber conceptual framework for developing military doctrine

Militaries rely on secure communications. Despite the permeation of cyber-systems throughout the operational environment, there is little readily available doctrine on cyber-warfare. Doctrine that does exist has not been coherently integrated. This paper introduces a Cyber Conceptual Framework, consisting of five questions pertinent to the future use of cyberspace. The authors enunciate a definition of cyberspace, expand on existing military doctrine to reject the conceptualisation of cyberspace as a domain, define cyber-conflict, define cyber-attack and describe the four components and five levels of a cyber-attack. This work develops a common framework from available doctrine and a lexicon for future discussion.     

Stolen trauma: why some veterans elaborate their psychological experience of military service

The embellishment of a warrior biography has a long history but examples of veteran elaboration of traumatic experience have become increasingly apparent. Although legislative change in the UK has removed the penalties for fabrication and a progressive decline in the military footprint may have increased the likelihood of such false trauma narratives, a paradigm shift in explanations for mental illness underpins this phenomenon. The recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 1980, followed by studies to identify risk factors, led to a greater appreciation of psychological vulnerability. As a result, the use of shame to discourage acts formerly labelled as “cowardly” or “lacking in morale fibre” is no longer considered appropriate. Recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan generated popular sympathy for service personnel, whilst media focus on PTSD has led the UK public to believe that most veterans have been traumatised by their tours of duty.     

Strategic hedging in Indonesia’s defense diplomacy

With the rapid pace of regional arms modernization and unresolved territorial disputes, Indonesia is increasingly susceptible to the impact of emerging great power rivalry in Asia-Pacific. Rather than pursuing a robust military build-up, Indonesian policy-makers assert that diplomacy is the country’s first line of defense. This article argues that defense diplomacy serves two agenda of Indonesia’s hedging strategy – strategic engagement and military modernization. This way, Indonesian defense and security officials seek to moderate the impact of geopolitical changes while maintaining the country’s defensive ability against regional uncertainties.     

多机、多目标、超视距空战仿真系统研制

具有多机、多目标、超视距攻击特征的未来空战,其技术研究离不开仿真实验的强有力支持,完善的仿真系统是实现这一目标的重要基础和保证。本文着重对未来空战仿真系统设计研制的相关内容进行较为深入的讨论。采用ＲＦＭ、蛀孔式通信、系统集成、ＶＲ、动态视景生成等先进技术进行系统设计,同时,对关键技术进行了分析研究。     

开放式CAD图形库的建造与管理

针对目前大多数CAD系统中图形库存在的通用性差、开发效率低、可维护性和可移植性差等方面的问题,提出建造和管理开放式CAD图形库的方法。按此法建造的CAD图形库可相对整个CAD系统独立,对各级用户具有良好的透明度,便于进行二次开发,便于维护和扩充,从而提高设计效率。     

多媒体信息集成的应用研究

通过多媒体信息集成在军事中的应用实例——WOSMS多媒体系统,对多媒体信息集成中的同步控制、资源管理、信息集成等技术问题,进行了论述。     

组合回转壳体动力分析的混合界面法

组合回转壳体在工程结构系统中大量存在,对它们进行动力分析是十分必要的。介绍了混合界面法的主要原理和在组合回转壳体结构系统动力分析中的应用,并用两个例题作了分析和计算,证明是成功的。该方法可推广到其它复杂系统结构的动力分析。     

航炮吊舱与飞机发动机相容性试验

航炮吊舱与飞机发动机地面相容性试验,是为进行空中首次实弹射击是否会引起飞机发动机空中停车事故而进行的摸底试验,涉及到航炮发射时炮口产生的压力场、温度场、所形成的流动变化是否会影响到发动机吞恶劣气流能力。重点介绍了试验过程中所采取的方法和测试手段。通过分析保障空中实弹射击成功的全过程。