Through an examination of the businesses and people that support war-making, collectively known as the defense and security industry, this thesis reveals the controlling processes at work that make the business of war palatable to those who work within the industry. Three controlling processes are examined: (1) The industry’s culturally specific language; a barrier built with syntax, preventing both entry from outsiders and exit by insiders, allowing for institutionalized insanity to set in while also legitimizing the business pursuits of these companies as normal and acceptable; (2) The scientific pursuit and technology itself, supported and maintained by the exalted position the pursuit of science holds in Western society, and the assumption that technological innovation is always an intellectual and noble pursuit, which is critical to the industry’s survival; (3) The ideologies of Western liberal democracy that buttresses the industry; defined primarily by insecurity, assumed moral authority, and neoliberal capitalism/short-term self-interest. The terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 served as a springboard for the industry to imbed itself into domestic settings, and carry-out acts of war in faraway countries without the consent of the people, thereby threatening the democratic ideals it claims to protect.

Combined arms is a central and integral part of how Sweden’s armed forces choose to operate on strategic, operative and tactical level. Despite this fact the manuals, regulations and doctrine which Sweden’s armed forces rely on does not allow for tracing the military theory behind the concept. Focusing on Sweden’s light air assault battalion, which only have lighter weapons, the question arise on how they are to achieve combined arms. The study’s aim was to get an answer if combined arms also are applicable to airborne and air assult operations. To tackle this question this study used Robert Leonhard’s theory of combined arms and asked the question of how it can explain success and failure in two historic cases, operation Mercur 1941 and operation Market Garden 1944. The analysis focused on the initial three days of each operation. The method used was a qualitative textanalysis of empirical descriptions of the events during the initial phases of the operations using indicators deducted from Robert Leonhard´s theory of combined arms. The result was that combined arms was used extensively in operation Mercur and by quite a large degree in operation Market Garden. What the analysis show is that despite the fact that it was used to quite an extent during operation Market Garden it was not sufficient to achieve success, however in operation Mercur it played a big role in achieving success. The analysis on the operations showed that other factors played a role such as veterancy, differences in equipment and tactics but also a difference in numbers.

No description available.

Major fraction of eukaryotic genomes is composed of transposons. Mobilization of these transposons leads to mutations and genomic instability. In animals, these selfish genetic elements are regulated by a class of small RNAs called PIWI interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Thus host piRNA pathway acts as a defense against pathogenic transposons. Many piRNA pathway genes are rapidly evolving indicating that they are involved in a host-pathogen arms race. In my thesis, I investigated the nature of this arms race by checking functional consequences of the sequence diversity in piRNA pathway genes. In order to study the functional consequences of the divergence in piRNA pathway genes, we swapped piRNA pathway genes between two sibling Drosophila species, Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. We focused on RDC complex, composed of Rhino, Deadlock and Cutoff, which specifies piRNA clusters and regulates transcription from clusters. None of the D. simulans RDC complex proteins function in D. melanogaster. Rhino and Deadlock interact and colocalize in D. simulans and D. melanogaster, but D. simulans Rhino does not bind D. melanogaster Deadlock, due to substitutions in the rapidly evolving Shadow domain. Cutoff from D. simulans stably binds and traps D. melanogaster Deadlock. Adaptive evolution has thus generated cross-species incompatibilities in the piRNA pathway which may contribute in reproductive isolation.

Some populations of newts (Taricha granulosa) possess large quantities of the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) in their skin and eggs. Many populations of garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) are resistant to this toxin and can consume large numbers of newts with no negative effects. Despite the wealth of information acquired on the interaction between newts and their predator, garter snakes, very little research has been conducted on possible interactions between newts and other predators. I conducted a suite of experiments examining for the presence of other predators on newts, specifically focusing on predators of their eggs and larvae. I found a single predator, caddisfly larvae were capable of consuming the toxic eggs. Larval caddisflies are extremely abundant at one study site (775,000 caddisfly larvae per pond), and appear to be resistant to the negative effects of ingesting tetrodotoxin. After hatching, larval newts retain substantial quantities of TTX and most are unpalatable to predatory dragonfly naiads. Ovipositing female newts respond to the presence of caddisflies by depositing their eggs at the top of the water column where they are out of the reach of most predatory caddisflies. When caddisflies do consume a newt egg, some of the toxin is retained in their body tissues. Finally, caddisflies consume more newt eggs when those eggs contain less toxin versus eggs that contain large amounts of TTX. This may cause newt eggs that contain low quantities of TTX to more likely to die of predation which could ultimately drive an increase in toxicity of the adult population over time. Collectively, these findings indicate an additional player, caddisfly larvae, is a major predator of newts and could be involved in the evolution of tetrodotoxin toxicity in newts.

No description available.

This thesis analyzes how Sweden is acting against their Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) in relation to their firearms exports to Saudi Arabia. There is plenty of previous research on FFP along with the arms trade with Saudi Arabia. Through this, feminist theory is applied to the FFP and the trade relation, with the purpose of attempting to uncover how Sweden’s actions are contradictory to their FFP. Therefore, in order to address how their actions are contradictory, the research question of this thesis is: How is Sweden acting against their FFP? This thesis utilizes a Qualitative Content Analysis to selected empirical material, news websites and international organization websites. As a result based on this analysis, Sweden acts against their FFP because they export firearms to Saudi Arabia, who violates human rights and oppresses women, and supplying a country like that with firearms legitimizes their violating and oppressing actions.

A holistic arms control (HAC) analytical framework was employed to explore the full range of mechanisms that could potentially be utilised to effectively regulate the development, stockpiling, transfer or use of riot control agents (RCAs), incapacitants and related means of delivery. From this analysis it is clear that the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and its attendant regime are the most appropriate and probably the most receptive mechanisms, at least in the short term, for the discussion of these concerns and the development of appropriate policy responses. However, the response of CWC States Parties to these issues is by no means certain and parallel processes should be established to explore alternative regulatory mechanisms with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, UN drugs conventions, international and regional human rights instruments, international humanitarian law, and transfer controls potentially yielding positive results in the next five to ten year period. Other regimes that may well prove important in the longer term include: the international criminal court and other international criminal law entities; the UN Secretary General¿s investigation mechanism and other ad hoc UN investigatory mechanisms. A comprehensive HAC strategy for the regulation of RCAs, incapacitants and related means of delivery will also require active involvement of informed and activist civil society in societal verification; development and promotion of norms prohibiting the involvement of scientific and medical communities in weaponisation programmes intended for malign application; and far greater active engagement of such expert communities in relevant State and international policy development processes.

This thesis examines the evolution of international humanitarian concern culminating in adoption of a Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) banning these weapons in May 2008. It is based on systematic analysis of official documents, extensive interviews, participant-observation, and several bodies of international relations (IR) theory. Part I explains the research methodology and discusses the theoretical context for the thesis. It is argued that several core assumptions of rationalist-materialist approaches to IR theory impede understanding of the CCM¿s emergence, and thus the thesis adopts an interpretivist framework. The four chapters of Part II analyse international efforts on cluster munitions including prior, failed attempts to restrict cluster munitions, the emergence of an international campaign from 2003, ensuing activity involving states, international organisations and civil society, and the CCM¿s eventual negotiation involving more than 100 states. Part III marries this empirical account to theoretical analysis of four thesis propositions. It is concluded that non-state actor-engendered processes of evidence collection and analysis, learning and frame alignment were central to the Oslo process¿s emergence. The Oslo Declaration¿s particular humanitarian framing (to ban cluster munitions causing unacceptable harm to civilians) and the structure of the subsequent ¿define-and-ban¿ discourse permitted convergence between states over prohibiting these weapons. Nevertheless, they contain implications for other international efforts aimed at controlling means of armed violence.

No / This book focuses on the use of small arms in violence and attempts by the state to govern the use and acquisition of these weapons. It is likely that hundreds of thousands of people are killed every year as a result of armed violence ¿ in contexts ranging from war zones to domestic violence. This edited volume examines why these deaths occur, the role of guns and other weapons, and how governance can be used to reduce and prevent those deaths. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, ranging from anthropology through economics to peace and security studies, the book¿s main concern throughout is that of human security ¿ the causes and means of prevention of armed violence. The first part of the book concerns warfare, the second armed violence and crime, and the last governance of arms and their (mis)-use. The concluding chapter builds on the contributors¿ key findings and suggests priorities for future research, with the aim of forming a coherent narrative which examines what we know, why armed violence occurs, and what can be done to reduce it.