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"The Ethics of Torture in the Context of the War on Terror" published on by Oxford University Press.

"The Ethics of Torture: Definitions, History, and Institutions" published on by Oxford University Press.

Despite the common trauma of systematic human rights violations under military rule, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay have responded in markedly different ways to their troubling pasts. This paper explains differences in human rights policies over time and across countries by looking at varying domestic conditions, including the ideological orientation of the governing party and the structure of party competition, as well as constraints and opportunities presented by external events. Government support for human rights derives in part from ideological proclivity but even more from the ability to build popular support for such a policy. Conservative and center-right politicians lack credibility among voters on human rights and therefore have little political incentive to adopt an activist stance on this issue. Leftist politicians are ideologically predisposed toward championing human rights but may be hamstrung by concerns about alienating centrist voters. Leftist politicians will only come out strongly in favor of human rights when they enjoy a clear political majority, leftist leaders who rely upon centrist allies will adopt a low-profile approach to human rights. Conversely, centrist political leaders who rely upon leftist allies have a strong political incentive to emphasize human rights. Once political momentum begins to shift to the right, however, centrist politicians will downplay human rights. Finally, external events may significantly alter national discourse on human rights, allowing cautious governments to gain political cover for more progressive human rights policy. By drawing attention to the important role of ideology and the structure of party competition, this paper offers a more complete explanation of the sources of human rights policy. It also provides a novel perspective on the ways in which external and international influences are filtered through national political systems. Adapted from the source document.

In October 1998 the former military dictator of Chile, General Augusto Pinochet, was arrested in London and forced to face extradition proceedings to Spain, where a Spanish judge threatened to put him on trial for human rights violations. Pinochet's arrest outraged the armed forces and conservative sectors in Chile, while it elated human rights defenders and Chileans on the left. For both groups Pinochet's arrest opened up the possibility that the retired general would be forced to answer to accusations about the conduct of his regime. This article analyzes the impact of Pinochet's arrest and argues that the subsequent reinvigoration of human rights policy in Chile was as much the result of domestic changes within Chile as it was a consequence of actions taken by international actors. The article analyzes the evolution of human rights policy in Chile before, during, and after Pinochet's arrest and demonstrates that government policy reflected the changing interplay among competing interests. Even prior to Pinochet's arrest, the government took advantage of growing pragmatism on the right and opportunities for institutional reform in order to transform the legal climate and open the door for a new jurisprudence that reinterpreted how and when amnesty should be applied. While the government went on to protest Pinochet's detention, it used the fact of international judicial intervention to move even further toward creating conditions in Chile that would allow Pinochet to be tried at home rather than abroad. All in all, the article offers insights into the confluence of domestic and international influences in human rights policy.

2014 Summer. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Background: The merging of the former U.S. Army Veterinary Command (VETCOM) with the former U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) into the U.S. Army Public Health Command (USAPHC) in 2011 created an opportunity for the military to fully embrace the One Health concept. That same year, the USAPHC began work on a Zoonotic Disease Report (ZDR) aimed at supporting critical zoonotic disease risk assessments by combining zoonotic disease data from human, entomological, laboratory, and animal data sources. The purpose of this dissertation is to facilitate the creation of a military Zoonotic Disease Surveillance program that combines disease data from both military human and animal sources. Methods: Five of the most commonly used human military medical data systems were systematically reviewed using a standardized template based on Centers for Disease Control and Preventive Medicine (CDC) guidelines. The systems were then compared to each other in order to recommend the one(s) best suited for use in the USAPHC ZDR. The first stage of the comparison focused on each system's ability to meet the specific goals and objectives of the ZDR, whereas the second stage applied capture-recapture methodology to data system queries in order to evaluate each system's data quality (completeness). A pilot study was conducted using Lyme borreliosis to investigate the utility of military pet dogs as sentinel surveillance for zoonotic disease in military populations. Canine data came from 3996 surveys collected from 15 military veterinary facilities from 1 November 2012 through 31 October 2013. Surveys simultaneously collected Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) seroprevalence and canine risk factor data for each participating pet dog. Human data were obtained by querying the Defense Medical Surveillance System for the same 15 military locations and the same time period. The correlation of military pet dog Bb seroprevalence and military human Lyme disease (borreliosis) data was estimated using the Spearman Rank Correlation. The difference between military pet dog data and civilian pet dog data was examined through the use of the chi-squared test for proportions. Multivariable logistic regression was then used to investigate the potential for identified risk factors to impact the observed association. Results: The comparison of human military medical data systems found the Military Health System Management Analysis and Reporting Tool (M2) data system most completely met the specific goals and objects of the ZDR. In addition, completeness calculation showed the M2 data source to be the most complete source of human data; 55% of total captured cases coming from the M2 system alone. The pilot study found a strong positive correlation between military human borreliosis data and military pet dog Bb seroprevalence data by location (rs = 0.821). The study showed reassuring similarities in pet dog seroprevalence by location for the majority of sites, but also showed meaningful differences between two locations, potentially indicating military pet dogs as more appropriate indicators of Lyme disease risk for military populations than civilian pet dog data. Unfortunately, whether canine Bb seroprevalence is influenced by the distribution of identified risk factors could not be determined due to limited study power. Conclusions: Based on this study M2 was recommended as the primary source of military human medical data for use in the Public Health Command Zoonotic Disease Report. In addition, it was recommended that Service member pet dog data be incorporated as a sensitive and convenient measure of zoonotic disease risk in human military populations. The validity of the data, however, should be evaluated further with either larger sample sizes and/or a zoonotic disease with higher prevalence.