A Critique of the U.S. Global War on Terror in the Sahel

This study aims to examine the impact of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal (PESTEL) factors on event businesses in Malaysia. Using qualitative interpretive methods and data from in-depth interviews with 15 event managers, the study identified several external factors affecting event operations. The results show that political factors such as government policies, small business funding grants, and global trade agreements or restrictions can significantly impact event businesses. Economic factors such as exchange rates, labor costs, globalization, and economic growth or decline can also affect operations, while social factors such as consumer trends, tastes, buying habits, lifestyle factors, and population demographics can also play a role. Technological factors, including tools and technological advancements, incentives, and the widespread use of social media, are also identified as important. Moreover, environmental factors such as supply chain management, procurement, future pandemics, ethical sourcing, sustainable resources, weather and climate, risk assessment, multiracial sensitivity, and geographical location are found to impact event businesses as well. Finally, legal factors such as health and safety regulations, employment laws, common laws, and consumer protection laws can also affect event operations. Overall, this study highlights the importance of conducting PESTEL analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of external factors that can impact event businesses. By using this analysis, event managers can develop strategies to mitigate risks and adapt to the changing market conditions. The findings suggest that event managers must remain vigilant in monitoring and responding to political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors to ensure the success of their operations.

Pakistan is a frontline ally of the US in its Global War on Terrorism. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the military regime was compelled by Washington to join the US effort to dismantle the Taliban-Al Qaida terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan and Pakistan that successive regimes had nurtured. While the Pakistani military regime's cooperation is deemed to be crucial for the success of the US counter-terrorism strategy, there appear to be growing strains and challenges that give rise to fundamental questions about the outcome of such cooperation. This is clearly seen in the revival of the Taliban and the continuing activities of terrorist and militant groups based in Pakistan, the increasing anti-American backlash among segments of the Pakistani and Afghan populations, and the electoral gains made by the Islamist parties in Pakistan. The US-Pakistan counter-terrorism efforts clearly suffer from myriad shortcomings. Alternative approaches by the United States that move beyond engaging the Pakistani military alone and focus on the civilian sector are necessary if the goals of counter-terrorism are to be achieved in the region.

The “Global War on Terror” came to dominate US foreign policy in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The effort served as a guiding light for how the United States interacted with friends, allies, and adversaries and deeply influenced US priorities around the globe, in general, and in the wider Middle East, in particular. While it will likely never be announced as concluded, the Global War on Terror is effectively over, due to four separate but related reasons: the killing of Osama bin Laden, the perceived failure of counterinsurgency as an effective policy instrument, the significant costs of the effort, and the Arab Awakening. This does not mean, however, that the United States will no longer pursue counterterrorists. Drones and special forces have emerged as the key tools in US counterterrorism, and the United States is likely to continue pursuing terrorist cells and high-value targets aggressively across the globe for decades to come using these means. However, this practice should be viewed as one of many defense efforts that the United States carries out on a regular basis in order to guard the full range of US interests. Elements of the emerging US counterterrorism effort remain problematic, but the end of the Global War on Terror nevertheless presents Washington with a window of opportunity to reorder its relations with the nations and peoples of the Middle East and North Africa and frees up resources for the United States to tackle other emerging strategic priorities, such as the shift of global power to the Pacific, the revival of the US economy, and security challenges such as energy security and cyber defense.

: Operation Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism forced many members of al Qaeda to disperse, as the U.S. Government and its allies removed safe havens and arrested a number of key leaders. As a result, the nature of the terrorist threat against the United States appears to have changed. For example, some like-minded terrorist groups that perhaps do not have the global reach of a pre-9/11 al Qaeda nevertheless have formed regional alliances. Similarly, other events have caused terrorist groups that are not linked ideologically to form mutually beneficial partnerships. These partnerships have provided otherwise less capable terrorist groups with the opportunity to improve their skills and their reach. In each circumstance, emerging alliances could increase the threat that terrorism will pose to the United States in the next 3-15 years. Understanding these interactions, therefore, is essential to ongoing and future efforts in the U.S. global war on terrorism. Terrorist groups in three areas -- Mindanao, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and southwest Colombia -- have exchanged technologies and knowledge in an effort to improve their operational capabilities. Studying these situations can provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with examples of why and how terrorists might share new technologies in the future, as well as the degree to which these exchanges might be successful. The authors chose these case studies because the terrorist groups active in these regions are highly capable. This book examines a variety of different technologies and exchange processes, ranging from remote-detonation devices to converted field ordnance to katyusha rockets. In some instances, terrorists successfully obtained and deployed the technologies involved. Counterterrorism forces disrupted other technology exchanges. In total, the authors examined 11 terrorist groups that operate in these three regions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine evolution of the American strategy toward terrorism in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. In other words, this study revolves around a key question: How and why the American security strategy toward terrorism evolved in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001? Based on the neorealist approach in international relations, this paper attempted to answer that question: first, through defining the concept of terrorism and how the Americans perceive it; second, via pinpointing the characteristic of the American counter-terrorism strategy before September 11 attacks; and third, through examining the effects of those terrorist attacks on that strategy. Design/methodology/approach The nature of the subject of this study calls for reliance on the analytical descriptive approach to highlight the role and strategy of the USA in the fight against terrorism following the events of September 11, in addition to the use of the system analysis methodology, which can identify the inputs and outputs of the system that had an impact in formulating the US counter-terrorism strategy. Findings This study has come up with seven findings. The first finding was that the 9/11 attacks served as a turning point of the US counter-terrorism strategy and restructured its agenda. Confronting the communist threat had been its primary objective, until terrorism came to the fore and became its first and foremost priority. The USA vowed that terrorism is its enemy and waged the war on terror to thwart its risk as a global threat. The second finding revolves around the idea of double standards in the American foreign policy. True to its long-standing tradition of favoring its own interests, in complete disregard of the interests of any other party, the USA continued to uphold the double-standards policy. Originality/value This study adds a new study to the Arab Library in the field of counter-terrorism studies, national security strategies and American foreign policy. In addition, the researcher seeks to complete the scientific effort to study the US strategy against terrorism, with a clear impact on the development of the situation in the region. This study contributes to the study of how one of the great powers in the international system, the USA, deals with the terrorist organizations that have become widespread in the Arab region.

US Counter–terrorism Options: A Taxonomy

: Lack of a clear, coordinated definition of state-sponsored international terrorism, failure to understand state-sponsored international terrorist groups as a system with inherent vulnerabilities, and a counterterrorism policy which does not target state sponsored terrorist groups center of gravity, all contribute to weak, ineffective US counterterrorism policy. This paper examines problems with defining state-sponsored international terrorism and proposes a new definition which encompasses several key points: the illegality of terrorist acts, the fact that they are politically motivated, and that such acts are acts of war. Based on Col John Warden's model of the enemy as a system, this paper analyzes state-sponsored international terrorist groups as an interdependent system in which attacking or isolating leadership is the key to rendering the system ineffective. His model is the basis for analyzing ineffectiveness of current US counterterrorism policy; rather than attacking state-sponsored international terrorist groups most vulnerable point (their sponsors), current policy is directed toward peripheral parts of the system (infrastructure and fielded forces). This paper proposes changes to US counterterrorism policy and organization to improve our capability to counter state-sponsored international terrorism.

Since January 1, 2019, the Federal project “Development of export of medical services” is being implemented, which is aimed at improving the quality of medical services in the Russian Federation and their promotion on the international market. Despite this, the problems and opportunities of medical tourism remain one of the urgent health problems not only in Russia, but also in the Chelyabinsk region. Through the conducted research, among political, economic, social and technological factors, problems and opportunities affecting the development of the export of medical services in the region were identified. The experts also named the necessary measures for the development and promotion of medical services on the international market Aim: analysis of existing problems in the field of medical tourism and import of medical services offered on the territory of the Russian Federation, and identification of possible prospects for the development of this area of medical activity. Materials and methods. The materials of this study were analytical materials and official statistical data of the FSBI “TSNIIOIZ” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. When processing the results, the information and analytical method, the statistical method, the method of questioning and expert evaluation, the method of processing and summarizing information were used. Results. The study involved 50 medical workers holding senior positions in medical organizations of the Chelyabinsk region (heads of structural divisions, chief physicians and deputy chief physicians). The study of the opinion of the study participants on the problems and prospects of the development of medical tourism led to the following results: • Shortage of personnel and material and technical resources is the main constraining factor of development in the provision of medical services to foreign citizens • It is necessary to equip medical organizations with a sufficient amount of medical equipment to increase the level of medical services provided to foreign citizens. The analysis of the external environment revealed political, economic, social and technological factors that hinder and contribute to the development of medical tourism in the country. Thus, the leading political factor contributing to the development of the export of medical services, experts called the support of medical tourism from the state. And the respondents consider the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States to be the main negative political factor. Respondents consider the relatively low cost of providing paid medical services as the main economic opportunity for the development of medical tourism. Whereas the main negative economic factor is the increase in the cost of medical devices and medical equipment due to restrictions on the import of imported equipment directly and the emergence of parallel imports. The most important for attracting foreign patients among social factors is the level of qualification of medical personnel, as well as high performance indicators in certain medical areas. Significant social threats, from the point of view of the respondents, is the lack of a unified system of voluntary medical insurance and international accreditation for most medical organizations of the Russian Federation. In order to develop medical tourism and increase the demand for Russian medical organizations among foreign tourists, the participants of the experiment consider it necessary to use the latest treatment technologies and achieve an international level of service, as well as create conditions that will help foreign patients to facilitate obtaining a medical visa. Conclusion. The results of the study made it possible to assess the problems of medical tourism and assess the prospects for development from the point of view of the heads of medical organizations of the Chelyabinsk region, as well as to develop a set of measures for the development of medical tourism in the Chelyabinsk region. The scope of the results. The data obtained will allow us to develop a set of measures aimed at the development of medical tourism in Russia, the adoption of which will help to increase the volume of exports of medical services and the number of treated foreign citizens.

Environment and Civil Strife

Over the last decade, increased attention has been paid to terrorism, particularly to the new wave of terrorist groups, fundamentalist movements, and extremist organisations such as Al-Qaeda. September 11 marked the beginning of a turbulent phase in which states face a new kind of threat made up of a complex network of insidious revolutionary and nationalist forces. Such transformations have given rise to an unprecedented number of publications. However, both political violence and terrorism remain sources of endless disputes and controversies because of their political implications. At the same time, in the scientific community, terrorism studies lack conceptual and methodological uniformity. In his article, Domenico Tosini synthesises and discusses some major findings from this research. Courses using such a review will be confronted with the four major topics that any analysis of terrorism, to be comprehensive, should take into account: the definition of terrorism; its history and classification; its explanations; and an assessment of the consequences of counterterrorism policies.

This paper examines two case studies of how the United States-led ‘Global War on Terror’ has impinged on the Philippine government's peace negotiations with the country's two major rebel groups: the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF). For four decades, these home-grown rebellions, not externally inspired terrorism, have been the main national or human security problem of the Philippines. The Global War on Terror has caused significant damage to the Philippine peace process aiming to end these conflicts. This contradicts the view that the Global War on Terror has boosted these processes by keeping these rebel groups honest through ‘terrorist organisation’ designations and listings, as well as the very definition of terrorism as applied to these groups. These designations should not be loosely applied on the basis of isolated terrorist acts; such acts must be systematically employed by the concerned organisation to characterise it as a terrorist organisation.

Socialist Retrenchment

The purpose of this study is to analyze the reason and process of labor policy changes in Korea. For this purpose, I analyzed three cases which were made respectively in 1980, 1987, and 1997. An analytical tool for policy change process is basically modified from the view point of policy making process theory, adaptable to the Korean situation. In the authoritative government period, political factors were most influential to changes in the labor policy. But through the process of democratization, socio-economic factors are more influential on the change of labor-management relations acts than that of others. Besides, the changes in the policy making process and the policy contents are mainly affected by the power relations among labor-management-government. Also, the government took the initiative in the process of labor policy making. Accordingly, political factors were most influential on the agenda-setting phase of labor policy changes. But because of the democratization of society and the growth of the private sector, the role of government is increasingly restricted. As a result, the three participants of the labor policy change are now interacting strategically. Therefore, Policy change is mainly determined by the power balance among labor-management-government relations. Korean labor-management relations acts are generally outlined by the macro-factors such as political, economic and social factors. The revision of labor-management relations acts are less affected by the characteristics of the policy making system. The revision of individual labor-management relations acts are more affected by the economic factors, while that of the collective labor-management relations acts are more affected by political factors.

Introduction. The country’s economic prosperity depends on economic, political, and social factors. A crucial component of a successful country’s development is its culture, which accumulates moral and value guidelines for the individual’s behaviour. Strict observance of moral rules is considerable for public trust formation, which is the foundation for social development. The relevance of the study is caused by the contradictions between individual and collective interests in using public goods. Individual interest gravitates toward cost reduction and avoiding payment for public goods. Instead, the collective interest consists in the moral obligation of the individual to pay for public goods for the general and individual well-being.
 Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to interpret the phenomena of the economic, social, and cultural factors of the free-riding problem of public goods.
 Results. An attribute of public goods is their nonrivalrous nature (the use of the good does not reduce the amount of the good available to others) and non-excludable (non-payers can use the good on an equal basis with those who honestly paid). The free-ride problem of public goods cannot be reduced to market regulation, whereas all communities benefit from the resources, regardless of whether they have paid for them (taxes, transport fees) or not. Regression analysis shows no relationship between economic and moral factors, in particular, the ability to pay for a good (using public transport) does not reduce the number of people who want to get it free of charge (free ride). The cost of the service (the ticket price) also does not affect the willingness to pay or not to pay for public goods usage. Thus, it can be recognized that the economic factor is not critical in using public goods.
 Conclusions. Simultaneously, the social factor of compliance with rules and trust is principal. The awareness that other participants also pay for public goods gives moral satisfaction to the individual and positively reinforces his conscience. Individuals’ consciousness and self-limitation form a cohesive community capable of development. Consequently, the social factor influences the individual's motivation and attitude toward the community's interests. Therefore, it can be assumed that the country’s economic growth depends on cultural and social norms regarding compliance with rules and trust, in addition to other factors.

Freedom of Information (FOI) in China has been approached as a strange and intriguing phenomenon. This article uses information flow analysis to propose a more detailed understanding of China’s FOI reform. Information flow, a theme to explore the gradual development of government receptivity to FOI in an information environment through time, is used as a new explanatory model for China’s FOI reform. This article argues that the reform is an outcome of improved information flow resulting from social, political, legal and economic factors. It also asserts that social, political and legal factors should be accorded a central role in understanding the development of FOI in China. Furthermore, China’s FOI reform formed part of a much longer process of increased transparency in the Chinese information environment. This is the reason China has adopted a model of FOI legislation stressing proactive disclosure. Points for practitioners The adoption of FOI legislation in China presents a special case study for FOI practitioners, that is, FOI officers. The practitioners face the challenge of processing information requests in an authoritarian regime. This article provides a more complete answer to the paradox of China’s FOI phenomenon. It focuses on local information flow conditions, and this provides a new perspective for FOI practitioners to understand China’s FOI reform. By applying information flow analysis, it argues that China’s FOI reform is an outcome of improved information flow resulting from social, political, legal and economic factors. This resulted in China adopting a model of FOI legislation emphasizing proactive disclosure. A complete and accurate understanding of this reform could help FOI practitioners to improve China’s FOI performance from the perspective of information flow.