Forests of Violence

This chapter examines the potential impact of the war in Ukraine on EU Studies. While the war is the most destructive war within Europe since the end of World War II, this chapter argues that the war is unlikely to have a major impact on the field of research. In general EU Studies is a field of research that is uncomfortable with war. Hence, the Algerian War, colonial wars in general, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Falklands War and the wars in Yugoslavia are largely not considered in reflections on the dynamics of European integration. Subsequently, this chapter outlines four reasons why it is unlikely that the war in Ukraine will prompt a Zeitenwende in EU Studies: (i) the wars in Yugoslavia did not cause much reflection about EU Studies and war. Instead, Comparative Politics (Hix 1994; Sbragia 1992) became an increasingly strong sub-field; (ii) a Zeitenwende is unlikely because academic path-dependencies are too strong. Most academics in Economics and Law never consider the role of war; (iii) EU Studies is predominantly characterized by a distinct liberal worldview and this worldview has not much in common with the worldview of the so-called Cold War Liberals; (iv) War Studies and EU Studies do not match well. Actually, the same applies to an interest in power politics and, not even realists in Europe perform well in the heartland of their theoretical tradition. This chapter concludes by arguing that the likely absence of impact should prompt a serious conversation about scenarios for desirable impact.

Farms in cotton production areas in West Africa have been undergoing environmental, economic, and social transformation, which is contributing to a restructuring of families. Drawing on sociological theories on family models and the functioning of agricultural families, this study collected data through formal and informal interviews with 349 randomly selected cotton producers in Northern Benin. Focus group interviews were also conducted. Data analysis was done through speech analysis and quantitative methods. Results revealed the crucial role of cotton production in the transformation of agrarian systems and land use. Cotton production has become the mainstay of farm development in cotton-growing regions. The economic and technical transformation of farms in the region resulted in significant changes in the allocation of production factors within households as well as in the structure of families. Furthermore, new economic and social challenges led to a decentralization of farm manager responsibilities, and the redistribution of roles and resources. Overall, new forms of farm management emerged within families, which are gradually becoming restructured. Families agricultural models are increasingly fragmenting towards nuclear models. The multiplication of decision-making units coupled with the fragmentation of farm assets calls into question farm sustainability. This study sheds light on the ongoing process in Benin’s cotton zones and the issue of their sustainability.

Several studies are under way at the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) to define environmental effects on detection and classification of buried mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Ground that is very wet, frozen, or snow covered can pose severe constraints on demining operations. The qualitative and quantitative nature of chemical signatures of buried land mines is being documented. Research to date indicates that although 2,4,6- trinitrotoluene constitutes over 99% of military-grade TNT, it is a minor component of the vapor signature at ground level. CRREL operates a year-round test site to determine the effect of weather on radar and IR systems used to detect buried mines. The New England site experiences many of the weather conditions likely to interfere with mine detection around the world. Short-pulse ground penetrating radar (GPR) was used to profile both ordnance and non-ordnance targets at the 40-acre UXO site at Jefferson Proving Ground. Analysis of the data indicates that future systems will have to operate at faster data acquisition rates. Radar modeling is being used to simulate the effects of the environment and identify new techniques for finding and classifying buried ferrous objects.

A set of resource-functional determinants of sustainable management has been determined, substantiated and formed using the scientific-natural and methodological principles of physical economy. They are represented by various forms of organization, development and transformation of the natural environment in the format of a mega- model of purposeful influence and management of four physiocratic resource bases. They recognized: natural resource processes (material, energy and natural resources); production processes (technological resources); societal processes (information base and social communicative alarm connections); economic processes (organizational and economic resources). The applied tools for determining the order of search, accumulation and involvement of four physiocratic resource bases to ensure and targeted localization of efforts of management entities that take care of key sets of tasks in the field of sustainable management at different levels of management of different dynamic systems. The latter are recognized as territorial natural and economic entities, national and regional socio-economic systems, which currently operate in resource constraints with the ever-increasing socio-political, economic and resource threats and risks to sustainable development of the state and its regions. It is recommended to develop applied tools, permanently refining the sequence of procedures when changing external conditions, through the use of scientific and natural provisions of physical economy, systems theory and turbulence in order to: a) initiate signs of laminarity of four basic processes (economic, social, industrial and natural resource); b) prevention of turbulent shifts. Taking into account the principles of identifying the complexity of the trajectories of the channels and their ability to adjust allowed to establish: the sequence of balancing the turbulent features of the channel of the implementation of processes: natural resources, production, societal, economic, priority of adjustment, first of all, of natural resource and production processes among others.

This article considers the natural and cultural resources on Army ranges that may be affected by range‐response decisions. Range response may include unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance, range remediation to address other constituents, posting range warning signs, erecting fences or alternative measures to control access, and other effective engineering, institutional, and exposure controls. The authors describe the Natural/Cultural Resource Bank methodology and make a case for its use in balancing the risks and impact of addressing UXO and other constituents against the risks and impacts involved in not taking action. A case study involving the Open Burning/Open Detonation (OB/OD) area at Fort Wingate demonstrated the use of this methodology in identifying and communicating the relative risks and developing an appropriate range response. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.*

The ongoing debate on the ecological climate and the possible courses of action suggests the need for a global consensus or mitigation towards an informed pedagogical approach on climate change. In 2006, a UK government white paper (Stern report) “identified climate change as a current challenge, not a future threat. The influential Stern report also identified three key elements in response to climate change, of which two – technological transfer and behavioural change – have clear implications for education” Freire argues: ‘When people lack a critical understanding of their reality, apprehending it in fragments which they do not perceive as interacting constituent elements of the whole, they cannot truly know that reality.’ The report also pointed to the critical human unawareness of climate change. Conscientization or critical consciousness of climate change is crucial. Critical consciousness being a moral awareness, Mustakova-Possardt argues, propels individuals to dis-embed from their cultural, social, and political environment, and engage in a responsible critical moral dialogue with it, making active efforts to construct their own place in social reality and to develop internal consistency in their ways of being. An informed pedagogical approach to climate change relates to social change and empowerment within communities creating what Freire would identify as ‘praxis’. The critical question posed in this paper is what level of critical consciousness does the population currently possess and are the communities engaged adequately empowered to develop an informed pedagogical approach? Codification is identified by Freire as a way of gathering information in order to build up a picture (codify) around real situations and real people. This method has been consciously applied throughout this research. The paper is underpinned by a set of Freire concepts (conscientization, praxis, codification, community engagement) as an intellectual framework to evaluate the field-work findings. Given that Freire’s concepts advocate knowledge, action or practice and reflection, and the ultimate aim of global environmental issues, and this paper, is to instil these concepts on a critical mass scale, it seems more than appropriate to apply these concepts to this study. This paper, in essence, explores levels of environmental conscientization on an international scale, giving examples from field research and case studies based on active participation and community engagement, and collaboration with three diverse communities. The concern with 'participation' in social change processes builds on the work of participatory approaches to social transformation outlined by Freire. He explains: “This early work was essentially a form of popular education that saw participation as a means of engaging the excluded and disempowered in processes of learning and social transformation that would enable them to become aware of and able to overcome the structures of oppression that shaped their lives.” In this paper the ability of these different communities to react to social and environmental transformations are evaluated. The pedagogical approaches applied in engaging with these communities and their impact or added value are compared and contrasted. The level of conscientization regarding this subject among the case study groups research is evaluated, and those communities’ perceptions of potential social and political change is also explored. The research concludes with theoretical and practical suggestions on how to mobilise social change towards an applied conscientization regarding environmental issues. It considers the implication of such suggestions on local and global communities, and the extent to which applied volunteering can add value and empower people to make a positive impact. Consequently, this involves moving beyond the ‘banking model of education’ on environmental matters to a more ‘praxis/reflex’ model.

For 48 years (1952–2000) the south half of Lac Saint-Pierre, a widening of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec, was used as an experimental firing range. Some 500,000 shells were fired into the lake, of which about 8000 are thought to contain energetic material. Approximately 2000 projectiles are considered as unexploded explosive ordnance (UXO). Furthermore, the lake itself is potentially the recipient of other contaminants associated with industrial wastes and agricultural runoff. The Canadian Department of National Defence, in order to research appropriate clearance approaches programs, instigated a large sediment transport study (sediment trend analysis or STA) to determine both sediment and contaminant sources and sinks and to assess the possible environmental consequences of various clearance options. STA is an empirical technique whereby patterns of sediment transport and dynamic behavior are derived from relative changes in grain-size distributions. About 1000 samples were collected at 500 m spacing encompassing the entire firing range. The lake bottom contained a complex number of sediment types ranging from “ancient” late glacial deposits, recent mud and sand, and a variety of mixtures. The STA identified the significance of the late glacial deposits as the dominant source for the sediments contained in the lake. The latter showed complex patterns of transport that originated from the ancient sediments and terminated on well-sorted sand. The findings demonstrated that anthropogenic contaminants were unlikely to be deposited in the lake sediments, or if they were, self-cleaning by natural processes would likely be rapid. Furthermore, trace metals were strongly associated with the ancient sediments evidently originating from an underlying anaerobic black shale formation. The STA provides an important framework to understand the chemistry of the sediments and their dynamics and helps to define the context within which the UXO clearance and environmental remediation options can be developed.

During September 2004 a field study was carried out on the Hawa iian Island of Kaho’olawe to explore various aspects of the effect of magnetic soils on time domain electromagnetic (TEM) measurements. This field work was in support of two Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program funded research projects (UX1355 and UX1414) whose goals are to investigate the source and spatial variability of magnetic soil anomalies, to create a methodology for modelling the response of magnetic soils, and to develop TEM data collection techniques that can better discriminate between the response of magnetic soils and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Detailed electromagnetic surveys were carried out at a test site on the island. The data from the surveys verify the commonly held belief that magnetic variations in the soil can complicate the identification of UXO. However, the data a lso show that short wavelength variations in the TEM response due to micro-topographic variations and coil orientation effects can generate responses that could mask a UXO and/or result in a false positive. An overview of the surveys, a discussion of preliminary results and some practical recommendations for surveying in magnetic soil environments will be presented.

Cost and performance issues have driven many High Performance Computing (HPC) communities to embrace personal computer (PC) clusters. Evolutionary computation (EC) is a global optimization technique that is often used to solve non-linear problems. Because of its computationally intensive nature, EC research is an obvious candidate for HPC utilization. EC applications include diverse fields like schedule optimization, robot navigation, controller design, image processing, discrimination of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO), and others. Our research has focused on genetic programming (GP), one of the many EC subfields. Other researchers using genetic programming techniques have obtained human competitive results, and have patented innovative electronic filter and controller designs. As the EC technique is applied to more complex Department of Defense (DoD) related problems, this research community will require increasing HPC resources. This paper will provide a broad overview of what EC techniques are, with particular emphasis on GP. It will also discuss the impact of EC on HPC resource allocation and utilization. EC and GP techniques are often applied to problems where an incomplete knowledge of the underlying physics exists. These techniques can also be used to solve problems characterized by non-linear mathematics without analytical solutions. We have applied GP techniques to the problems of buried unexploded ordnance discrimination and image noise reduction. Results are encouraging and point to the need for applying EC techniques to the many difficult problems faced by the DoD community. As these techniques gain further acceptance among HPC users, the providers of these computational resources must be prepared to meet the challenge.

This article explores how the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder was developed and debated during the wars of Yugoslav succession 1991–1995. It focuses on the rich, wide-ranging, and complex psychiatric and psychotherapeutic discussions of war trauma in the post-Yugoslav space, arguing that arguments about PTSD became a site for expressing political tensions, controversies, and anxieties that could not otherwise be addressed or identified.This research explores how Yugoslav psychiatrists tailored the language of PTSD to their own particular clinical and political needs, infusing it with local assumptions and experiences, often radically changing its original meaning and intentions in the process. Moreover, the article engages with discourses of psychological trauma in Eastern Europe and the socialist world, which remains a neglected topic. It examines how the post-WWII and socialist-era psychiatric discourse and silences were reinterpreted and worked into the psychiatric-political attempts to make sense of the wars of Yugoslav succession.

Magnetic properties of soils have been highlighted as a primary detrimental environmental effect on the performance of geophysical systems for detection of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mine targets. A recent workshop at Cranfield University, U.K., aimed to identify knowledge gaps related to soil magnetism. Eight invited speakers from multidisciplinary areas provided briefings on state‐of‐the‐art research linked to soil magnetism and geophysical sensing. Contributions from other participants provided additional insights from a range of disciplines through case studies and applications. The workshop included break‐out sessions to identify current gaps in knowledge and to determine priority areas for investment in research to further developments in UXO and mine detection in magnetic soil environments. Key recommendations for future research investments have been grouped in categories including soils, theory and modeling, instrumentation, and communication.

This text deals with the materialization of reflective thinking, based on the concept of praxis, in which the authors discuss the social and environmental transformations that have occurred in the territory of Pontal do Paranapanema-SP, by various social agents, including the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST), in the Nova Esperança Rural Settlement, having as its pillar the decolonial and territorial thinking of peasant women. The concrete fact is expressed in projects to recover areas degraded by water erosion, where natural nature is transformed by various social actors, but also by human beings themselves, who become alienated from their own awareness of also being nature. In this case, especially peasants who maintain a topophilic relationship with the land: a relationship of affection, identity, belonging, which also guarantees society's food and nutritional security, are the resistance.

In a world of limited resources there is an increasing need for mine action operators to demonstrate the impact of interventions on affected populations. To date several tools have been developed for assessing impact within mine action. This article suggests that these tools largely focus on the negative impact that landmines and unexploded ordnance have on affected populations, rather than on the positive impact of humanitarian mine action itself. While existing tools are extremely useful at the macro level for national planning and resource allocation, they do less to provide the criteria required for task selection at the implementation level. Task impact assessment (tia) is proposed as a suitable tool for filling this ‘gap’. The article compares the methodologies of tia and other existing approaches, and suggests that tia is a cost-effective and complementary tool that facilitates the selection of specific tasks at the operational level within broader areas identified as high priority at the strategic level. The paper suggests that tia, as developed and used by one mine action operator (Norwegian People's Aid), is relevant for other operators and could provide a standardised tool to assist all mine action organisations within a given country to select their tasks. Similarly, it argues that, with minor modifications, tia could be used by national mine action authorities which may wish to more accurately assess the value of conducting certain tasks before others without incurring unnecessary delays or costs in the process.

The scientific work reveals the problems of anthropogenic impact on natural processes, which have become more acute with global climate change. First, industrialization and expansion of agricultural territories have led to the large-scale replacement of natural biocenoses with artificial structures, which has caused a rupture of natural ecological connections. The reduction of open green spaces and large-scale construction have disrupted the natural circulation of water, which has led to the degradation and pollution of water systems. These negative processes have caused numerous environmental problems in the urban environment, as a result of which heat islands are formed, air quality deteriorates, water supply sources are polluted, problems with drainage are exacerbated, and the living environment deteriorates, which affects the general condition of people and their health. Secondly, the industrial approach to the formation and transformation of the architectural environment affected not only environmental aspects, but also the cultural sphere. The international style that emerged as a result of industrial development required the mass construction of structures made of reinforced concrete, glass and metal. Due to the standardization and unification of architecture, regional identity was lost, and the cultural and historical landscape was overshadowed by massive modern structures. Thirdly, as a result, the architectural environment formed under the conditions of industrial development turned out to be extremely vulnerable to modern global climate change. The above-mentioned problems revealed an urgent scientific problem: the lack of comprehensive, scientifically based approaches to the formation and modernization of the architectural environment that would meet current and projected climate challenges, while preserving and taking into account the cultural and historical identity of the regions. For this purpose, the research was to develop scientifically based comprehensive approaches to the formation and transformation of the architectural environment as a strategy for adapting to the existing and predicted climatic features of the region, taking into account and preserving its cultural and historical identity. To achieve the goal, the following research tasks were set: 1. Analysis of the impact of climate change on the architectural environment; 2. Research on the cultural and historical identity of the architectural environment; 3. Development of comprehensive approaches to the formation and reform of the architectural environment; 4. Creation of models of an adaptive architectural environment; The object of the research is the architectural environment, and the subject is scientifically substantiated comprehensive approaches to the formation and transformation of the architectural environment, as strategies for adapting to existing and projected regional climatic features while preserving and taking into account cultural and historical identity. Research methods: historical and modern approaches to the adaptation of the architectural environment under the influence of climate change are analyzed. Based on a systematic analysis, the results obtained are summarized and a comprehensive approach to the design of a sustainable architectural environment is formed. Models of adaptation of the architectural environment are proposed, taking into account regional climatic features, using the example of «Sponge city», «Smart City», etc. Research hypothesis. The cultural and historical identity of the architectural environment is formed through the interrelationship between adaptation strategies aimed at preserving the historical and cultural context and regional climatic features. Taking into account the relief, climatic conditions and traditional construction methods allows for the creation of architectural solutions that are resistant to climate change, minimize energy consumption and harmoniously fit into the natural and socio-cultural environment. Conclusions of the scientific work. A modern approach to the formation and transformation of the architectural environment, which must meet the challenges of the 21st century, requires comprehensive and methodologically sound approaches, such as greening and sustainability - architecture as part of the ecosystem; regional identity - preservation of the cultural context; social integration - cities for people; technological innovations - adaptive and «smart» solutions. The strategy for implementing a comprehensive approach to the formation and transformation of the architectural environment consists of the following models: 1. Design of adaptive development: green roofs and vertical gardens. This model demonstrates the implementation of green roofs and vertical gardens in the urban environment as key elements of ecological architecture. The implementation of such elements allows you to create a more comfortable and environmentally safe environment for urban residents. 2. Design of an energy-efficient city: implementation and use of renewable energy. The model illustrates the use of renewable energy sources in the urban environment to reduce CO₂ emissions and ensure energy independence. This strategy helps cities adapt to energy challenges and reduce their environmental impact. 3. Sustainable Water Management Design: Using Rainwater and Permeable Pavements. The models show solutions for effective water management in urban environments. Using these approaches helps cities better adapt to climate change and reduce the risks associated with extreme weather conditions. These models demonstrate a comprehensive approach to an adaptive built environment that ensures its environmental friendliness, efficiency and sustainability in today’s climate change environment.

As the core pillar of the national energy supply system, resource-based cities provide a solid material foundation for China' s economic transformation towards an environmentally friendly and low-carbon model. It is crucial to scientifically evaluate the efficiency of green transformation in order to promote the coordinated development of . “resources environment cities”. Taking Jiayuguan City, a typical resourcebased city in northwest China, as an example, this study constructs an urban green transformation efficiency evaluation system from four dimensions of economic transformation, social transformation, environmental transformation, and green transformation, with 14 indicator evaluation factors. The entropy weight TOPSIS model is used to measure the green transformation efficiency of Jiayuguan City from 2008 to 2018, and the obstacle model is combined to evaluate the obstacle factors that affect the green transformation of Jiayuguan City. Finally, propose strategies for the green transformation and development in response to the identified issues. The results show that: (1) In terms of economic transformation, the efficiency of economic transformation in Jiayuguan City has been increasing year by year, but it is basically in the intermediate stage, with the highest GDP weight; In terms of social transformation, Jiayuguan City has made significant progress since 2015, reaching a relatively optimal state; In terms of environmental transformation, Jiayuguan City entered a high-quality stage in 2012, and its relative closeness has been increasing year by year; In terms of green transformation, Jiayuguan City has entered the high-quality stage from the initial stage since 2012, and its relative closeness has been increasing year by year. The relative closeness has shown a continuous improvement trend, but the growth rate is relatively slow, and there is still significant room for improvement in the transformation process (2) From 2008 to 2018, in terms of economic transformation, social transformation, environmental transformation, and green transformation, there were significant changes in D+and D-in Jiayuguan City, and the efficiency of green transformation gradually approached the development level of the optimal ideal solution. (3) The proportion of days when the urban air quality meets the standard (X8) and the centralized treatment rate of sewage treatment plants (X13) are the main obstacles to the green transformation and development of Jiayuguan City.