Analysis of the breach of the dike at Huanyuankou (1938) as the Chinese military target to prevent the Japanese from taking Zhengzhou is argued to reveal the need for academic work on the long term effects of natural disasters induced by warfare. A historical narrative of the Japanese invasion contextualizes Chiang Kai-shek's rationale for the breaching the dam of the Yellow River, & the North China famine. These two natural disasters of the Anti-Japanese War are concluded to reflect the twentieth century conduct of war that increasingly presents risks to civilians, yet, war strategies of flood or famine are seldom studied as disasters. The academic disinclination to deal with natural disasters that are products of warfare is asserted to be characteristic of both Western & Chinese disasterology, & is a lacunae that leaves the victims unknown, nameless statistics. Tables, y. J. Harwell
Chronicles the life & career of Frederick J. Teggart, founder of the Dept of Sociology at the U of California, Berkeley, focusing on his reflections on early CA history in terms of his personal religious & sociological background. Himself an immigrant to the state in the late 19th century, Teggart saw this new frontier as a place to challenge old ideas about politics, science, religion, migration, & the humanistic sciences. Drawing on his own Calvinist background in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Teggart introduced a catastrophic model of social change that persists today in Thomas Kuhn's history of science & ethnomethodological studies of catastrophism. His analysis of religion's development in the context of social catastrophe is reviewed, together with his ideas for a new sociology that could arise from unexpected events (eg, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake) & changing social relations caused by the onslaught of new immigrants to CA. K. Hyatt Stewart
Changes in the contemporary world materialized in particular through population growth and mobility, urbanization, and economic expansion also result in an increased exposure of people and assets to extreme events and impose, implicitly, adequate management of induced risks. The occurrence of natural and anthropogenic risk phenomena, known as hazards, puts a heavy tribute on disaster-sensitive human communities regardless of their level of development. The magnitude of the disasters and their increasing frequency and severity imply the need for their approach by the entire world community and for global action. Knowledge of risks becomes a sine qua condition in carrying out impact studies, risk prevention plans, spatial planning plans, and, in general, a condition for effective management of natural resources or sustainable development projects.
Assesses the efficacy of law enforcement efforts against extremism, particularly on the far Right, & offers suggestions for prosecuting them. The cases of Robert Jay Matthews & James Ellison are analyzed as examples of failed enforcement policies & inefficient prosecution that enhanced the profile & support of extremist organizations like the Aryan Nations Congress. It is argued that intragovernmental cooperation on all levels would eliminate the need to pass new laws punishing terrorists in favor of enforcement of already existing criminal statutes like the Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act. Civil actions by private citizens against terrorists & extremists are also recommended. It is concluded that, with interagency cooperation, disasters like the Branch Davidian incident in Waco, TX, could have been avoided. T. Arnold
The notion of the "world risk society" is used to reconceptualize the notions of war, terror, economic globalization, neoliberalism, state, & sovereignty. An overview of world risk society is presented, emphasizing differences in the notions of risk circulating within pre-modern & modern societies & highlighting the various emergencies that potentially threaten global society, eg, ecological disasters. Attention is subsequently dedicated to explaining how the concept of world risk society has altered contemporary understandings of the aforementioned terms; for instance, it is stressed that terrorism is principally comprehended as an international phenomenon & that war has become increasingly individualized to the extent that groups of people, not entire states, are capable of waging war against entire nations. Three recommendations for overcoming the problems engendered by the novel manifestations of war & terrorism, globalization & neoliberalism, & state & sovereignty are suggested: establishing an international legal framework to tighten the alliance against terrorism; engaging Islamic & marginalized cultures in dialogue to ascertain the effects of globalization on these cultures; & promoting the transformation of existing nation-states into open world multinational states. J. W. Parker
Explores challenges facing the international community in relation to human rights abuse & humanitarian intervention in Africa. Debates about humanitarian intervention that occurred between 1945 & 1990 are described. Although the UN Charter sanctions intervention only if the Security Council recognizes a threat to international security, the case for intervention rests on the belief that humanitarian catastrophes demand an exceptional response. It is argued that Africa fails to provide support for the proposition that there is a new norm of humanitarian intervention even though it has been the testing ground for post-Cold War interventions. An overview of the UN operation in Somalia shows that Somalia's political culture is unique & failure in Somalia was not an indication that other African interventions were bound to fail. Nonetheless, the Somalia experience led to the Western denial of genocide in Rwanda. Difficulties surrounding the issue of consent, proposals of pragmatic humanitarianism that focuses on what is politically possible, & contrasts between the international response to natural disasters & those caused by civil conflict are discussed. J. Lindroth
"The Copenhagen Summit on a Post-Kyoto regulation of Climate Change in December 2009 demonstrated the urgency of action to be taken to save our planet from many more man-made disasters (UN 2009). At the centre of the environmental problems, which were created by modern capitalism and industrialisation, is the production process, i.e. labour. The responsibility lies in the decisionmaking process about who, decides what, when, how, where and for whom products and services are made (Szell 1994 a, b). Henceforth, for a sustainable future all stakeholders have to be involved. Environmental problems are global ones, however, manifest themselves on the local and regional level. Therefore the need for coordinated action of science, civil society, business and politics on these levels to stop further degradation and develop sustainable alternatives. For this purpose innovation - not only technological but foremost social innovation - is necessary. To promote innovations education and research are at the forefront. Better education for the biggest possible number and research, which is truly interdisciplinary, are preconditions. Education and research are first of all public goods. Their privatisation and commercialisation have led to ignorance about environmental problems, focussing largely on growth and profitmaking. Instead the public sector has to be strengthened - preventing at the same time widespread corruption - to allow sustainable education and research. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is another important issue. CSR means social and environmental responsibility. In this context trade unions and works councils have a special duty, not only in formulating sustainable business strategies, but especially in implementing them. China has recently become the third biggest national economy in the world, and will certainly - with its ongoing high growth rates - soon overtake Japan and the USA as well to become number one. However, its boom over the last three decades has been highly paid with large environmental destruction. Some of its cities and regions are amongst the most polluted ones in the world. A central rote for sustainability - like in many other Third World countries - plays the informal sector, which by its definition is unregulated - not only socially, but also environmentally. A specific challenge in this regard is migration. China has even officially some 225 million migrant workers, who are suffering from and at the same time producing environmental hazards (ITUC 2010; Szell 2010). China's future will decide about the future of our sustainability and by it of the future of humankind. Therefore to hold this important congress in Peking - at one of its most prestigious universities and its very enlightened school of labour and human resources - is a privilege and at the same time a unique opportunity." (author's abstract).
"The Copenhagen Summit on a Post-Kyoto regulation of Climate Change in December 2009 demonstrated the urgency of action to be taken to save our planet from many more man-made disasters (UN 2009). At the centre of the environmental problems, which were created by modern capitalism and industrialisation, is the production process, i.e. labour. The responsibility lies in the decisionmaking process about who, decides what, when, how, where and for whom products and services are made (Szell 1994 a, b). Henceforth, for a sustainable future all stakeholders have to be involved. Environmental problems are global ones, however, manifest themselves on the local and regional level. Therefore the need for coordinated action of science, civil society, business and politics on these levels to stop further degradation and develop sustainable alternatives. For this purpose innovation - not only technological but foremost social innovation - is necessary. To promote innovations education and research are at the forefront. Better education for the biggest possible number and research, which is truly interdisciplinary, are preconditions. Education and research are first of all public goods. Their privatisation and commercialisation have led to ignorance about environmental problems, focussing largely on growth and profitmaking. Instead the public sector has to be strengthened - preventing at the same time widespread corruption - to allow sustainable education and research. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is another important issue. CSR means social and environmental responsibility. In this context trade unions and works councils have a special duty, not only in formulating sustainable business strategies, but especially in implementing them. China has recently become the third biggest national economy in the world, and will certainly - with its ongoing high growth rates - soon overtake Japan and the USA as well to become number one. However, its boom over the last three decades has been highly paid with large environmental destruction. Some of its cities and regions are amongst the most polluted ones in the world. A central rote for sustainability - like in many other Third World countries - plays the informal sector, which by its definition is unregulated - not only socially, but also environmentally. A specific challenge in this regard is migration. China has even officially some 225 million migrant workers, who are suffering from and at the same time producing environmental hazards (ITUC 2010; Szell 2010). China's future will decide about the future of our sustainability and by it of the future of humankind. Therefore to hold this important congress in Peking - at one of its most prestigious universities and its very enlightened school of labour and human resources - is a privilege and at the same time a unique opportunity." (author's abstract)
