Faced with America's conventional military superiority, many countries are turning to weapons of mass destruction as a means to deter U.S. intervention in their affairs. At the same time, 11 September 2001 awakened the United States to a degree of vulnerability it had never experienced before, making it increasingly unwilling to tolerate such weapons in the hands of unstable and unpredictable regimes, particularly those with connections to terrorist organizations. These twin fears of American encroachment and American vulnerability create a modern security dilemma, forming a vicious cycle of insecurity that challenge straditional notions of deterrence. It is unquestionable that the United States possesses the strategic capabilities to retaliate with devastating effect to any attack, but regional asymmetries of interest may tip the scales of brinksmanship in favor of potential adversaries, thereby dissuading American involvement in responding to global security threats. While this might be a welcome change to some, the United States is developing Counter proliferation options to prevent, protect against, or destroy threatening weapons reserving the right to use preemptive force in order to retain freedom of action abroad and protect the homeland. This is a worthwhile objective, but deterrence will never be guaranteed by American strength, and unprovoked wars of disarmament will inevitably spark yet further proliferation and hatred toward the United States. Ultimately, the only reliable road to peace lies in nurturing and broadening friendly relations with nations that share the goal of destroying the threat posed by catastrophic weapons of mass murder and terror.

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Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis explores the behaviour of job flows in Taiwan. The investigation of the behaviour of job creation and destruction has improved our understanding of the dynamics of the Taiwanese labour market and also has important implications in terms of economic research and policymaking. Chapter 2 discusses the basic features of the overall post-war Taiwanese economy. We find that large flows of workers enter and exit the employment pool. The large worker flows offer an interesting insight about the job flow dynamics. Based on the measures proposed in Chapter 3, Chapter 4 carefully examines the so-called small business job creation hypothesis. We find that small business can be viewed as the engine of job creation. However, small business is not the source of sustained increases in employment. Chapter 5 documents the basic features of job creation and destruction. We find that job creation is more volatile than job destruction in the manufacturing and service sectors, but reveals the opposite pattern in the construction sector. Based on the methodologies outlined in Chapter 6, Chapter 7 investigates the regime switching and asymmetric behaviour of job creation and destruction. We find that the interest rate can help to explain the asymmetric behaviour of job creation and destruction rates in all sectors. Furthermore, we find an interesting feature that a lower interest rate stimulated beneficial regime shifts in job flows. Chapter 8 explores the similarities and differences of regional business cycles by reference to the employment growth rate as well as job creation and destruction rates. We find that the regime switching behaviour of employment growth was similar across the North, Central and South regions. However, behaviour in the East Region was dramatically different. Furthermore, the regime switching behaviour of the common regional business cycle (specified in terms of employment growth) is consistent with the business cycle indicator proposed by Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 330-356).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Uppsala University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [255]-294).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Uppsala University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [255]-294).

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Combating-Terrorism: Policy & Strategy))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Moltz, James Clay. Second Reader: Dahll, Erik J. "March 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Radiological Terrorislm, RDD, Dirty Bomb, Public Preparedness, WMD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-98). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Philosophy, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Defense Decision-Making and Planning))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2006. / Thesis Advisor(s): Donald Abenheim. "March 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p.73-80). Also available online.

Orientador: Helmut Troppmair / Banca: Lucy Marion Calderini Philadelpho Machado / Banca: Adler Guilherme Viadana / Banca: Marta Felicia Marujo Ferreira / Banca: Marlene Teresinha de Muno Colesanti / Resumo: O objeto principal de estudo, desta pesquisa, versa sobre o processo de degradação das Veredas, buscando a compreensão dos fatos inerentes e decorrentes da intervenção do homem no ambiente das Veredas, existentes no Cerrado do Brasil Central, mais especificamente nas Veredas do Chapadão de Catalão, Sudeste do Estado de Goiás/Brasil, através de uma análise comparativa espacial e temporal. A área de ocorrência das Veredas apresenta-se subordinada às características ambientais que possibilitaram sua evolução. Essa pertence à região do Cerrado, com suas particularidades e subsistemas específicos, tais como as Superfícies Aplainadas de Cimeira e a presença de solos hidromórficos com buritizais (Mauritia vinifera), compondo ambientes embaciados específicos, formadores dos subsistemas das Veredas. As Veredas se constituem num importante ecossistema, possuindo, além do significado ecológico, um papel sócio-econômico e estético paisagístico que lhe confere importância regional, principalmente quanto ao aspecto de constituírem refúgios fauno-florísticos e por serem ambiente de nascedouro das fontes hídricas do Planalto Central Brasileiro, fonte vital para a preservação das águas da região e sistema hídrico brasileiro. Nesse contexto, a pesquisa procura entender as mudanças ocorridas, a partir da interferência antrópica, através de práticas agro-pastoris decorrentes da expansão da agricultura na região, nesse ambiente, que vem interferindo de forma impiedosa na paisagem e na percepção dos moradores, uma vez que promove as transformações do ambiente, refletindo na vida cotidiana dos mesmos e na paisagem local. Decorrente disso, há a necessidade urgente de reverter o processo de intervenção antrópica no ambiente das Veredas, visando, com isso, à sua preservação e garantindo o fluxo de água nas nascentes que as mesmas representam no Planalto Central e refúgio para a fauna e flora. / AbstracThe primary aim of this study talks about the process of deterioration of the Veredas (a type of lowland area usually with a natural spring as the source of water and groves of buriti palms), searching for an understanding of the inherent and resultant facts of man's intervention in the enviroment of the Veredas, which exist in the scrublands of Central Brazil, more specifically in the Veredas of the Chapadão de Catalão, in the southeast part of the state of Goiás, Brazil, through a comparative space and time analysis. The areas in which the Veredas are found demonstrate that they are closely linked to the environmental characteristics that make their evolution possible. This refers to the scrubland region, with its peculiarities and specific ecosystems, such as the Plains of Cimeira and the presence of wet, saturated soil with buriti palm groves (Mauritia vinifera), consisting of certain wetland enviromenments, which create the Vereda ecosystems. The Veredas make up an important ecosystem: besides their ecological importance, they play a socio-economic role and provide scenery that gives them a regional importance, specially considering their role as wildlife refuges and as areas of natural springs of the central Brazilian Plateau, vital sources of water in that region and the Brazilian water systems. In this context, this research tries to understand the changes that have occurred, starting with human interference caused by farming practices happening due to the expansion of agriculture in the region, which is mercilessly destroying the landscape and changing the natural beauty that the local inhabitants enjoy, that causes transformations in the environment, reflected in the everyday life of the inhabitants and in the local landscape. As a result of this, there is an urgent need to reverse the process of destruction of the Veredas ecosystem...(Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor