yes / The proliferation of irregular armed actors which defy simplistic definition has caught public and academic attention alike, not least in the pages of this journal. To move the debate on non-state armed groups (NSAGs) forward, this article seeks to enhance our conceptual understanding of parochial armed groups which are not primarily driven by ideological or religious objectives. Thus, this article clarifies similarities as well as differences between subtypes of community-based armed groups (CBAGs) on the one hand, and between CBAGs and other NSAGs, on the other hand. By doing so, a typology is developed that classifies militias, gangs and vigilantes on the basis of their political, economic and security-related dimensions. The resulting ideal types are discussed through the lenses of different explanatory frameworks and policy debates in the field of contemporary security studies. A major typological issue is the tendency for CBAGs to ‘turn bad’ and become threats to the stability they were expected to transform, becoming a serious problem in countries where they operate. It is concluded that the challenge of CBAGs ultimately needs to be addressed by putting in place a functioning state that can tackle the underlying woes that led to their proliferation in the first place.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This thesis explores the causes of Russian foreign policy towards Georgia. It argues that the Russian Federation continues to pursue a policy which weakens the sovereignty of the Caucasus. The main priority of this thesis is to identify why the Russian Federation seems to be pursuing a set of policies that economically and politically weaken the sovereignty of Georgia. Therefore, this thesis examines the forces and factors of Russian domestic politics that drive Russian national interests towards the Caucasus. The analysis focuses on one particular issue-area: the role of the economic elite in shaping Russia's domestic and foreign policies vis-a-vis the state in the electricity sector. In focusing on the energy policies of the Russian Federation, this thesis reveals the negative consequences for Georgia's sovereignty that result from a strong Russian influence in the region. This thesis analyzes how Russian national interests towards Georgia challenge the latter to establish autonomous decisionmaking with regard to its foreign policy and to exercise its own authority through an exclusive competence in internal affairs of the state. In conclusion, this thesis offers policy prescriptions on how Georgia might best preserve its sovereignty with respect to the Russian Federation in terms of energy dependency. / Civilian, Ministry of Defense, Georgia

¡@With the change of economic globalization, the national security is no longer just the traditional nation defense or military security. Economic, political, diplomatic, technological, cultural, environmental and other fields related to national development are gradually considered into the scope of national security. Among, Economic security is the core of national security now. The protection of economic security concern about nation development, such as nation defense, diplomacy, and the standard of people¡¦s living. Not only every department in nation is interdependent with each other, but also any economy can't live alone. Economic development has closely relationship with the use of energy. No matter developed countries or developing countries, their reliance various energy are increasing (especially oil); however, because of the limited resource endowment, the energy competition is one of leading to the tense international relations. ¡@The distribution of oil is uneven. Middle East has more than half of the crude oil reserve, and the top ten largest oil reserve countries hold the 80% of the world¡¦s total reserve. But, the most two oil consumption region, North America and Asia Pacific, only own 8.7% oil reserve. United States and China are the largest oil consumption countries, while United States oil dependency is above 60%, and almost 60% of China¡¦s oil demand need to import from other countries. In order to sustain economic development (need enough oil energy), the imbalance of demand and supply let China and other oil-consuming countries have to negotiate with the oil-producing region - Middle East, Central and South America, and Africa. Africa is one of China¡¦s oil import region. China strengthen Sino-Africa relation through leader conference, high-level visits, Forum on China - Africa Cooperation, China¡¦s oil company¡¦s energy investment in Africa, economic aid, infrastructure and other diplomatic measures. The comprehensive cooperation contributes China to get Africa's oil resources.

Refugee children often experience social exclusion upon arrival in their new host countries. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) obligates States to ensure the social inclusion of all children, including refuges. While all but two countries have ratified the CRC, few have fully implemented it. In this thesis, I tested the hypothesis that the social inclusion of refugee children will be greater in a country that has more fully implemented the CRC (Sweden) than in a country where implementation is weaker (Canada). The results of a policy analysis supported the hypothesis. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of methods to measure the implementation of the CRC, as well as to our understanding of the relationships among human rights, domestic policy and children’s well-being.

中美洲具有關鍵地理位置，這裡有世界最大的進口量，然而，這特殊的地理位置同時具有好處和其挑戰。本論文旨在分析瓜地馬拉在特殊政治環境和經濟政策的背景之下，簽訂中美洲自由貿易協定之後，其對瓜地馬拉的影響。本論文也比較瓜地馬拉和其他中美洲國家出口至美國的情形，進一步了解出口的多樣化過程。本研究旨在評估在簽訂此區域自由貿易協定十年後所帶來的改變，並且分析中美洲自由貿易協定作為和美國市場交易途徑的保證，來保護瓜地馬拉當地的經濟安全。 / The Central American countries have a key geopolitical location; they are located in the same continent as the world’s largest importer. Having a privileged geographic position, has come with it challenges and benefits. This thesis intends to analyze the impact of the Dominican Republic –Central America Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Contemplating Guatemala’s particular political motivations and economic incentives to sign this regional Free Trade Agreement. This paper also intends to compare Guatemala’s exports performance to the United States with the rest of the Central America, to analyze the exports performance, in order to determine patters and visualize the export diversification process. This will be done to evaluate this regional Free Trade Agreement performance ten years after its signature. Followed by an analysis on the DR-CAFTA as a mechanism that promotes Guatemala’s economic security by guaranteeing the best access possible to the United States market

Refugee children often experience social exclusion upon arrival in their new host countries. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) obligates States to ensure the social inclusion of all children, including refuges. While all but two countries have ratified the CRC, few have fully implemented it. In this thesis, I tested the hypothesis that the social inclusion of refugee children will be greater in a country that has more fully implemented the CRC (Sweden) than in a country where implementation is weaker (Canada). The results of a policy analysis supported the hypothesis. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of methods to measure the implementation of the CRC, as well as to our understanding of the relationships among human rights, domestic policy and children’s well-being.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the Local Economic Development Projects (LED) in relation to Income Security. It can be argued that LED is one intervention, which can be used to create jobs and eradicate poverty at a given locality. LED has been regarded as an approach towards economic development and growth whereby local people are encouraged to work in collaboration in order to achieve sustainable economic growth, bringing economic benefits and improved quality of life for all community members in in a specific municipal area.

The thesis focuses on China's economic diplomacy in Africa. The theoretical part deals with the concept of economic security (as a part of soft security) and economic diplomacy (as a way how to secure economic security). Africa is just one of many areas where China is engaged. The objective of the thesis is to identify the particular policies of China's economic diplomacy. The thesis is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the theoretical concepts, the second part with the energy security and policy in China. The third part deals with the individual areas of cooperation between China and Africa and China's main principles of cooperation. The main areas are international trade, foreign direct investment and foreign aid. The last part describes the Chinese cooperation with two particular countries -- Angola and Sudan.

Recent studies on the economic status of women in Miami-Dade County (MDC) reveal an alarming rate of economic insecurity and significant obstacles for women to achieve economic security. Consistent barriers to women’s economic security affect not only the health and wellbeing of women and their families, but also economic prospects for the community. A key study reveals in Miami-Dade County, “Thirty-nine percent of single female-headed families with at least one child are living at or below the federal poverty level” and “over half of working women do not earn adequate income to cover their basic necessities” (Brion 2009, 1). Moreover, conventional measures of poverty do not adequately capture women’s struggles to support themselves and their families, nor do they document the numbers of women seeking basic self-sufficiency. Even though there is lack of accurate data on women in the county, which is a critical problem, there is also a dearth of social science research on existing efforts to enhance women’s economic security in Miami-Dade County. My research contributes to closing the information gap by examining the characteristics and strategies of women-led community development organizations (CDOs) in MDC, working to address women’s economic insecurity. The research is informed by a framework developed by Marilyn Gittell, who pioneered an approach to study women-led CDOs in the United States. On the basis of research in nine U.S. cities, she concluded that women-led groups increased community participation and “by creating community networks and civic action, they represent a model for community development efforts” (Gittell, et al. 2000, 123). My study documents the strategies and networks of women-led CDOs in MDC that prioritize women’s economic security. Their strategies are especially important during these times of economic recession and government reductions in funding towards social services. The focus of the research is women-led CDOs that work to improve social services access, economic opportunity, civic participation and capacity, and women’s rights. Although many women-led CDOs prioritize building social infrastructures that promote change, inequalities in economic and political status for women without economic security remain a challenge (Young 2004). My research supports previous studies by Gittell, et al., finding that women-led CDOs in Miami-Dade County have key characteristics of a model of community development efforts that use networking and collaboration to strengthen their broad, integrated approach. The resulting community partnerships, coupled with participation by constituents in the development process, build a foundation to influence policy decisions for social change. In addition, my findings show that women-led CDOs in Miami-Dade County have a major focus on alleviating poverty and economic insecurity, particularly that of women. Finally, it was found that a majority of the five organizations network transnationally, using lessons learned to inform their work of expanding the agency of their constituents and placing the economic empowerment of women as central in the process of family and community development.

This work focuses on situations where two different sectors of human security - economic and environmental - clash. It uses the currently popular topic of shale gas in the United States in order to determine what happens when such conflict occurs. It also tries to find out which sector potentially dominates in this conflict. The first part of the work defines the research questions, states my preliminary working thesis and discusses sources used. The theoretical background of the whole work is then outlined in the second part. Special attention is given to the concept of human security and the Copenhagen school, i.e. to elements that widened the traditional perception of security. The second part, however, is also engaged in the definition of the theoretical framework of given security sectors in the context of US shale gas. The third part is the core of the work's research. Here, various mini case studies within the United States and their economic and environmental variables are discussed. The aim is to find out what happened in specific cases when the clash of the two sectors occurred. The fourth part aims to outline the possible factors not mentioned in the third part, which, however, could still play a role in the shaping of the results. In the fifth section, there is a preliminary analysis of...