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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

The impact of the private security industry on peace-building efforts in Africa : an assessment of Executive Outcomes, MPRI and DynCorp

Holager, Emma 03 1900 (has links)
Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The emergence and rapid growth of the private security industry in the 1990s followed from the downsizing of the armed forces in the aftermath of the Cold War and the development of new security threats which increased demand for military manpower and expertise. This has led to a redefinition of security strategies and the restructuring of armed forces by Western governments, which has resulted in the elimination of non-core activities from the functions of many armed forces. Recently it has been argued that the private security industry can challenge what previously was believed to be a primary responsibility of states, namely to take on peacebuilding initiatives and support to other peace operations. This study seeks to assess the impact of the private security industry in peacebuilding efforts in African conflicts. The study suggests that the private security industry have taken on a much stronger role in conflicts world wide since the 1990s, and that its activities have significantly changed. Companies such as MPRI and DynCorp have managed to keep close contact with their home governments, which arguably has been a crucial factor to their growing business. Furthermore, the private security industry have sought to distance itself from the negative connotations associated with mercenaries and the activities of companies such as Executive Outcomes in the 1990s, by avoiding operations involving elements of direct combat. This has been illustrated through the extensive case study of the activities of three private military and security companies: Executive Outcomes, MPRI and DynCorp. Furthermore, this thesis has confirmed an increased presence of the United States on the African continent post-9/11, illustrated by the presence of American-based private military and security companies which arguably are being used as proxies for US foreign policy purposes. Furthermore, this study has discussed the various implications the private security industry has on the traditional notion of the state’s monopoly on the legitimate use of force. This thesis has argued that the legitimate use to exercise violence is in the process of devolution from governments to other actors, which the extensive growth of the private security industry illustrates. Additionally, it has been argued that the privatisation of military and security services can harm the reliable delivery of essential services in conflict. Furthermore, the findings of this thesis has highlighted the dilemma that many countries do not want stricter regulation or elimination of the private security industry for the reason that these companies are viewed as valuable assets in fulfilling foreign policy objectives that for various reasons cannot be fulfilled by national armies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die opkoms en vinnige groei van die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf in die 1990s was die gevolg van die afskaling van gewapende magte in die nasleep van die Koue Oorlog en die ontwikkeling van nuwe sekuriteitsbedreigings, wat die aanvraag na militêre arbeidskragte en kundigheid verhoog het. Dit het aanleiding gegee tot ’n herdefiniëring van sekuriteitstrategieë en die herstrukturering van gewapende magte deur Westerse regerings, met die gevolg dat niekernaktiwiteite van die funksies van talle gewapende magte uitgesluit is. Daar is onlangs aangevoer dat die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf aanspraak kan maak op ’n funksie wat voorheen as die primêre verantwoordelikheid van regerings beskou is, naamlik om vredesinisiatiewe en steun aan ander vredesverrigtinge te onderneem. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die impak van die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf in vredesinisiatiewe in Afrika-konflikte te assesseer. Daar word aan die hand gedoen dat die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf sedert die 1990’s ’n baie groter rol in wêreldwye konflikte gespeel het, en dat die aktiwiteite van hierdie bedryf aanmerklik verander het. Maatskappye soos MPRI en DynCorp was suksesvol daarin om nabye kontak met hul tuisregerings te behou, wat stellig ’n deurslaggewende faktor in hul groeiende besighede was. Voorts het die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf gepoog om hom te distansieer van die negatiewe konnotasies wat met huursoldate en die aktiwiteite van maatskappye soos Executive Outcomes in die 1990’s geassosieer is deur bedrywighede wat elemente van direkte stryd inhou, te vermy. Hierdie poging is geïllustreer deur die omvattende gevallestudie van die aktiwiteite van drie privaat militêre en sekuriteitsmaatskappye: EO, MPRI en DynCorp. Die bevindinge van die studie bevestig voorts die Verenigde State van Amerika (VSA) se toenemende teenwoordigheid op die Afrika-vasteland ná 9/11, wat duidelik blyk uit die teenwoordigheid van Amerikaansgebaseerde privaat militêre en sekuriteitsmaatskappye wat stellig as volmag gebruik word vir die VSA se buitelandsebeleidsdoelstellings. Die verskeie implikasies van die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf vir die tradisionele siening van die regerings se monopolie ten opsigte van die wettige gebruik van magte word ook in die studie bespreek. Daar word aangevoer dat die wettige gebruik van geweld in die proses van devolusie is vanaf regerings na ander rolspelers, wat deur die omvattende groei van die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf bevestig word. Daar word verder ook beweer dat die privatisering van militêre en sekuriteitsdienste die betroubare lewering van noodsaaklike dienste tydens konflik kan benadeel. Die studie se bevindinge werp ook lig op die dilemma dat talle lande strenger regulering of uitskakeling van die privaatsekuriteitsbedryf teëstaan omdat hierdie maatskappye beskou word as waardevolle bates in die bereiking van buitelandsebeleidsdoelwitte, wat vir verskeie redes nie deur nasionale leërs bereik kan word nie.
2

Uso de veículo aéreo não tripulado na determinação de Índice de vegetação em área de pastagem em Nova Mutum-MT / Unmanned aerial vehicle use to determining vegetation index in pasture area in Nova Mutum-MT

Linhares, Mayklyns Marcos de Almeida 15 July 2016 (has links)
Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2016-08-17T20:54:27Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mayklyns Marcos de Almeida Linhares - 2016.pdf: 5918802 bytes, checksum: cc18441a8f9fd258681505cc840eb5cf (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-08-18T12:45:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mayklyns Marcos de Almeida Linhares - 2016.pdf: 5918802 bytes, checksum: cc18441a8f9fd258681505cc840eb5cf (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-18T12:45:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mayklyns Marcos de Almeida Linhares - 2016.pdf: 5918802 bytes, checksum: cc18441a8f9fd258681505cc840eb5cf (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-15 / This study aimed to evaluate the performance of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) used to analysis of cultivated pasture areas. This evaluation was based on the comparison between the products of Vegetation Index calculated by orthomosaics from photos acquired by a UAV and the Percentage of Green collected in the ground level. The UAV Vegetation Index was the Modified Photochemical Reflectance Index (MPRI). It was held also a comparison between the Vegetation Indexes obtained with the UAV and an orbital platform being these the MPRI and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) respectively. The data were collected monthly between July and December 2014. For comparison between the Percentage of Green and the MPRI was used 25 samples distributed along of transect established in ground level into the pasture area. For comparison between MPRI and NDVI other 15 samples were distributed along of the pasture area. The Percentage of Green relied on vertical photos acquired in the ground level. The MPRI resulted from aerial surveys done by UAV’s model “TIRIBA” that used the Canon PowerShot S100 camera coupled. The orthomosaics from aerial photos acquired on aerial surveys were generated in the Agisoft PhotoScan to calculate the MPRI after. The NDVI was calculated from surface reflectance images acquired by Landsat-8 satellite. Has been observed that Percentage of Green and MPRI are correlated and the same to be observed for MPRI and NDVI. There is also relationship in behavior of these products over time so was possible to conclude that both products could provide the necessary information for the characterization of the development of pasture between July and December 2014. Both products – Percentage of Green, MPRI and NDVI – feature advantages and limitations: the Percentage of Green is most sensitive for the changes into the pasture because of their detail high level (spatial resolution) but doesn’t have the income that the MPRI/UAV has and not provide the analysis of the whole area being necessary use to sampling; the MPRI/UAV has a higher sensitivity to record of the behavior of pasture when compared to NDVI/Landsat-8 bus the gain in the area imaged by orbital platform should not be disregarded. The correlation between Percentage of Green and MPRI and between MPRI and NDVI also suggests that these products can be used in conjunction to perform the monitoring of pasture areas. / Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar o desempenho de um Veículo Aéreo Não Tripulado (VANT) quando destinado à análise de áreas com pastagem cultivada. Tal avaliação teve por base a comparação entre o produto de Índice de Vegetação, calculado por intermédio de ortomosaicos de fotografias adquiridas por um VANT, e o parâmetro de Percentual de Verde coletado em solo. O Índice de Vegetação calculado com os dados do VANT foi o Modified Photochemical Reflectance Index (MPRI). Foi realizada também uma comparação entre os Índices de Vegetação obtidos com o VANT e por plataforma orbital, sendo esses índices o MPRI e o Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), respectivamente. A coleta de dados foi realizada mensalmente entre julho e dezembro de 2014. Para a comparação entre o Percentual de Verde e o MPRI foram utilizadas 25 amostras distribuídas ao longo de um transecto estabelecido em solo. Para a comparação entre o MPRI e o NDVI foram utilizadas outras 15 amostras, distribuídas ao longo da área da pastagem. O Percentual de Verde se baseou em fotografias verticais obtidas em nível de solo. Já o MPRI resultou de aerolevantamentos com um VANT modelo TIRIBA, embarcado com uma câmera Canon PowerShot S100. Os ortomosaicos que serviram de base para o cálculo do MPRI foram gerados no programa Agisoft PhotoScan. O NDVI foi calculado com base em imagens de reflectância da superfície adquiridas pelo satélite Landsat-8. Como resultados observou-se que há correlação entre o Percentual de Verde e o MPRI, bem como entre o MPRI e o NDVI. Há também relação no comportamento desses produtos ao longo do tempo, de forma que foi possível concluir que ambos poderiam subsidiar as informações necessárias para a caracterização do desenvolvimento da pastagem em questão entre julho e dezembro de 2014. Concluiu-se ainda que ambos os produtos apresentam vantagens e limitações: o Percentual de Verde, em virtude de seu detalhamento (resolução espacial), é o mais sensível as alterações na pastagem, mas não tem o rendimento que o MPRI/VANT agrega por viabilizar a análise da área no todo, o que dispensa amostragem; o MPRI/VANT tem maior sensibilidade se comparado ao NDVI/Landsat-8 no registro do comportamento da pastagem, mas o ganho em área imageada pelo satélite não deve ser desconsiderado. A correlação entre o Percentual de Verde e o MPRI e entre o MPRI e o NDVI sugere também que esses produtos possam ser utilizados em conjunto no monitoramento de áreas de pastagens.

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