‘Responsibility to protect’ and the African Union: Assessing the AU’s capacity to respond to regional complex humanitarian and political emergencies

Despite its many institutional and political weaknesses and limitations, the African Union (AU) has been developing a variety of tools and mechanisms to respond effectively to complex disasters and emergencies (both natural and manmade) by building up a comprehensive regional security architecture. Furthermore, it has become the first and only regional or international organisation to enshrine the principle of ‘responsibility to protect’ (R2P) in its Constitutive Act. This regional approach to and formal endorsement of the R2P principle allowed it to assume a particular place in the promotion of peace and security in its area. This article aims to critically assess the effectiveness of the AU on the African continent by exploring its real capacity in preventing and responding to emergencies and violent conflicts, and therefore in rendering the principle of R2P operational. The article argues that the formalisation of principles does not necessarily mean their effective implementation. The organisation's use of the R2P principle is also greatly conditioned by internal and external factors.     

Great-power Responsibility,Side-effect Harms and American Drone Strikes in Pakistan

In International Relations (IR), the actions of great powers are usually assessed through their direct effects. Great powers are generally considered to be responsible for the consequences of their actions if they intentionally caused them. Although there is discussion on “double-effects” and “side-effect harms” in the realms of philosophy and political sociology, these largely remain absent from the field of IR. This article bridges that gap by clarifying a set of yardsticks through which side-effect harms of great powers’ actions can be evaluated, including “capacity”, “historical precedent”, “voluntarism” and “unintentional causality”. These yardsticks are deduced through the Theory of Special Responsibilities, which combines elements of Constructivism and the English School. The theoretical framework presented is then applied to the case of American drone strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. A number of terrorists in FATA have relocated elsewhere within Pakistan to escape these strikes, subsequently harming individuals in new locations. The article asks: who bears responsibility for the harm brought to civilians by these dislocated terrorists? Analysis from the perspective of the theoretical framework, constructed and applied here, suggests that even if the US may claim not to have directly intended such an outcome, it still shares some responsibility for the harm to innocent civilians.     

基于RTX的实时测控系统软件设计

从无人机半物理仿真试验的整体结构出发,针对实时测控系统的需求,采用了一种较为新颖的Windows+RTX实时性方案,完成了无人机半物理仿真试验中实时测控系统的研制.既满足了试验的实时性要求,又具有很好的用户交互特性,对测控技术的发展及其在国防科技等相关领域中的应用均有重要的参考价值.     

Situations and Dispositions: How to Rescue the Military Virtues from Social Psychology

In recent years, it has been argued more than once that situations determine our conduct to a much greater extent than our character does. This argument rests on the findings of social psychologists such as Stanley Milgram, who have popularized the idea that we can all be brought to harm innocent others. An increasing number of philosophers and ethicists make use of such findings, and some of them have argued that this so-called situationist challenge fatally undermines virtue ethics. As virtue ethics is currently the most popular underpinning for ethics education in the military, it is important to know to what extent the claim situationists make is correct. Fortunately, a closer look indicates that an interactionist perspective, with our character and the situation interplaying, is more accurate than the situationist perspective.     

警察枪支使用的法律责任问题研究

现阶段我国警察枪支使用法律责任的相关规定尚不完善,存在着法律责任设置不够系统、操作性不强等问题。探讨警察枪支使用方面存在的困境,对我国警察枪支使用法律责任的设置提出建议,有利于我国警察枪支使用法律责任的设置日臻完善。     

MEASURING UN SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION AND INACTION IN THE 1990S

Although Africa is host to the vast majority (and the most deadly) of conflicts in the world, it would appear that there is a distinct lack of genuine interest in African affairs shown by the UN Security Council and its key members. This paper proposes a 10-level scale of response system to measure the seriousness of the Council in dealing with conflicts. By comparing the Council response with the size and severity of each individual conflict, the scale attempts to assess the Council performance in the fulfilment of its duty to restore international peace and security. The results show that Africa has been (and remains) marginalized in the Council work.     

提高依法处置突发事件能力研究

应对处置突发事件不仅依靠经验,更重要的应当依靠法制。《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》）规定：人民武装警察部队应当根据执行任务的需要,加强对所属人民武装警察的教育和训练,提高依法执行任务的能力。处在执勤、处突第一线的武警官兵应增强法律意识,开展法律运用训练,编制处突法律预案,在部队基层形成处置突发事件的法律文化,从而提高依法处置突发事件的能力。     

领导干部经济责任审计风险成因及其防范

当前,领导干部经济责任审计风险的成因主要有外部原因和内部原因两个方面。防范经济责任审计风险,必须创造良好的审计环境,加强审计工作管理,努力提高审计人员的综合素质。     

防空导弹指挥控制系统火力单元动态调整方法

多火力单元责任扇区的动态调整是防空导弹指挥控制系统的核心功能之一,通过引入可打击目标数和覆盖目标数的概念及计算方法,提出了一种新的多火力单元责任扇区调整方法。该方法能快速有效地确定多火力单元责任扇区调整方案。     

Responsibility in Complex Conflicts: An Afghan Case

This paper discusses soldiers’ moral responsibility in today’s complex conflicts. The point of departure is the increased focus on soldiers as moral decision-makers in war, illustrated by the introduction of core values in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Responsibility is one of these core values, but it is not clear exactly how we should understand responsibility. I use a case where a group of Norwegian soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sought the cooperation of a group of mujahedeen to solve the military mission of establishing security. As confidence between the parties grew, the soldiers became horrified witnesses to a practice of bacha bazi, where a young boy is dressed up for entertainment and sexual abuse. This situation gives reason to question the limits of role responsibility, the status of soldiers’ legitimacy, and the challenges of making morally sound judgments in a multicultural context. The discussion demonstrates that, even if there are restrictions on the soldiers’ freedom to act, a responsibility reaching beyond or extending their role should be recognized as part of the moral reality of modern soldiers.