Continuation Of War Research Articles

СТАНОВЛЕНИЕ КАЗАХСКОГО ХАНСТВА:НОВЫЙ ВЗГЛЯД НА ИСТОРИЮ

The Kazakh Khanate, formed by the Kazakh people led by the khans Kerey and Zhanibek in 1465, did not appear overnight. Its origins goback to the depths of centuries –the history of our statehood, which has 2.5 millennia and begins with the nomadic Saks. In the formation of statehood in the steppe zone, both the general laws of the historical process and the features characteristic of a nomadic society were reflected. In the XIV-XV centuries the process of addition of the Kazakh people was completed. The very name "Kazak", which has undergone a complex transformation from its original social meaning to ethnic content, becomes the name of the people. The entry of the emerging Kazakh people into different states –the Ak Orda, the Khanate of Abulkhair, Moghulistan, the Nogai Horde and the Siberian Khanate; continuous wars, strife between Genghisides and the nobility, coupled with growing external aggression, led to the idea of the need to unite ethnically close groups into a single state. These circumstances became the reasons for the creation of the Kazakh state proper. Ethno-political and socio-cultural processes on the territory of Kazakhstan in the XIV-XV centuries became the result of the emergence of the Kazakh Khanate in 1465.One of the largest and most influential states of Central and Central Asia in the Middle Ages was the Kazakh Khanate. In modern times, the Kazakh Khanate ceased to exist as an independent unit on the political map of the world, however, the achievements it has accumulated in the field of administration, legislation, regulation of public relations, foreign policy and diplomacy have a huge impact on modern Kazakhstan. The article also focuses on the personalities of the prominent khans of the Kazakh Khanate, who played a crucial role in the centuries-old life of the Kazakh people.

China’s Understanding of Hybrid Wars

Abstract: The article is an attempt to present China's positions in the international perspective and to derive the scope and content of the concepts of continuous war and hybrid war. The topic stands out for its topicality and significance; it requires constant analyses due to the dynamics in the development of China's policies in geopolitical and global terms. The limitations of the directional study are on theoretical overview and critical analysis of China's position in the second decade of the 21st century. The methods used are desk research and secondary analysis of previous scho¬larly publications and analyses. The first assumption is that China is becoming a threat to the global status quo and it is reasonable to present Chinese side of view. The second assumption is that it could be better to follow a more multilateral approach when it comes to the matter of national security, conflicts and war. The results of the analysis are a representation of China's views on the development of political, economic or other actions at the international and even global level. Conclusions are drawn about China presenting itself as a rival to the established global status quo in international affairs and how it is presented, announced and disseminated by public, political and diplomatic communication. Keywords: China, warfare, hybrid wars, unrestricted warfare, conflict, globalisation.

Ready to Serve: Opportunities for Cooperative Extension to Support Military Families

The issues families in the military experience have been exacerbated by 20 years of continuous war. Families in the military across all the service branches are families first, sharing similar struggles as their civilian counterparts. Like many families, families in the military have day-to-day concerns about health, financial management, parenting and building positive relationships. Cooperative Extension is positioned to bridge the gap between building support systems and providing quality education, services and care to service members and their families–but are we ready to serve?

Forging a master narrative for a nation: Finnish history as a script during the Second World War

ABSTRACT In our article, we study how Finnish historians produced historical texts to be applied inside the Finnish army to give lessons, speeches, and informal talks to the rank-and-file soldiers during two periods: first during the Winter War of 1939–40 and then in the last stages of the Continuation War in 1944. Employing narratological methodology to this task, we examine the purposeful construction of a master narrative of the national past by telling the story of ‘Finland’ and the ‘Finnish people’ in their perpetual, existential fight against Russia. We approach the history texts as emergent scripts that were offered to the particular audience of soldiers so that they would internalize the historical framework of their current situation and experiences. The history texts underline the inevitable continuity and teleology of Finnish history. This is done by constructing a vast historical context into which the hardships of the present moment are embedded through repeating crucial past images and analogues, which reserved the role of sufferer and experiencer for the Finnish people. The historians’ wartime accounts offer a case where the master narrative is purposefully built and propagated under official auspices.

URDU-22 Historical review of the beginning and evolution of feudal system and its social and political impact in Saraiki District Dera Ghazi Khan

Majority people of the District are Saraiki speaking in Dera Ghazi Khan but they under the strong hold of Baloch feudal Lords. Feudalism is not a new issue in our society actually it is an ancient issue of the human society. The term feudalism was started from Europe in medical period during the decline of Roman empire. The continuous wars between Great Britain and France divided the people and stratification of society appeared in Europe. Feudalism was very close to the policy of divide and rule. In 1857 colonial Government was established in India and they also exercised the same. They won the second Sikh war in 1849 and then with annexation of Punjab they became the ruler of India. With their extension policy they marched toward the west of Indus. During forward policy they granted and obliged the various tribes of Dera Ghazi Khan. But after 1854 when they marched in Balochistan they faced a strong and powerful resistance in the tribal belt of Dera Ghazi which was an important route and area before Balochistan. The continual resistance forced the colonial government to negotiate with tribes. In this regard Robert Sandeman was given the Task to manage these tribes and after mutual discussion in 1866 Sandeman became successful to form the Tumans in Dera Ghazi Khan. The tribal Chief was appointed as a Tumandar. Tumandar or the feudal lord is very powerful in his Tuman and the feudal system is still existing even in 21st century.

Empathy for the ‘Other’: Neglected Finnish Ethnographic War Photography from Occupied Soviet Territory

This article examines a series of unsettling images from the Finnish Continuation War (1941–1944) and the memories of the war that these photographs construct for contemporary Finns. We argue that these images can be viewed through Alison Landsberg's (2004) notion of ‘prosthetic memory’, which underlines how visual media enable the acquisition of vivid memories of past events. The paper outlines how these long-ignored photographs narrate unexamined dimensions of World War II in ways that transform how Finns in particular remember the war. The images illustrate a neglected Finnish occupation of Soviet territories and the treatment of Russian civilians under Finnish rule. We argue that the images can provoke empathy for their experiences and therefor challenge traditional and nationalist Finnish war interpretations.

Military Pay during the Late Ming Period: An Alternative Interpretation of State Finance in Ming China

<p>以往的明代財政史研究，大都選擇以財政收入一側的嬗遞為考察對象而不離乎制度研究的範式與國家本位的視角。本文以財政支出為切入點討論晚明軍士收入的構成與水準，進而以自下而上的進路，探討明代國家財政之基本精神。本文將晚明軍士收入劃分為常規性收入與臨時性收入，前者包括月糧、布花、馬料，後者則涉及行糧、安家銀。對於衛所軍士而言，晚明財政體制的白銀化未對其生計產生實質影響，其收入仍不過與洪武時期的標準大體相持，僅能勉強維生。相形之下，並不歸屬於衛所軍戶制之中的募兵所得餉銀明顯更高。兩者的分野與明代財政奉行的「原額主義」密切相關：國家以戶籍制束縛軍戶，設計微薄的糧餉標準，以此適應同樣偏低的財政收入。此一機制雖因晚明戰爭不斷而崩解，卻為清朝繼承乃至進一步鞏固。</p> <p> </p><p>Earlier studies on Ming dynasty finance have mainly focused on changes in revenue, following an institutional and state-oriented paradigm. This essay instead examines military pay, the largest expenditure of the late Ming central government, thus offering a perspective from the bottom up. This essay distinguishes late Ming military pay into regular and temporary categories. The former included monthly grain allowances, clothing, and horse fodder, while the latter included travel rations and relocation funds. For the military households, the commutation of the financial system into silver did not have a substantial impact on their livelihood. Their income had remained largely the same since the founding of the dynasty, and they could barely make ends meet. By contrast, the recruits, who were not registered with military households, received payment and rations that were significantly higher. The discrepancy between the two was closely linked to the “quota system” practiced in Ming financial administration. When the government established households fixed in the military category, meager rations were standardized, commensurate with the low revenue of the financial administration. Although this mechanism collapsed amidst the continuous wars of the late Ming, it was adopted and further consolidated in the Qing dynasty.</p> <p> </p>

On Francesco Guicciardini’s Thought and Some of his Considerations on Machiavelli

Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540), Italian historian, politician and writer, - descendant of one of the most important and faithful families to the Medici family in Florence - received a solid humanistic education and was also the protagonist of the Italian politics in the XVIth century; during the wars between France and Spain for the domination of the peninsula, he became the fair and impartial interpreter of these events in terms of historiography. Upright and of austere character, ¬he is the author of one of the best histories of Italy, written in the spirit of the time, whose prime quality is the historical veracity. Guicciardini fed the feeling of nationality and the aspiration to independence of Italy. In his works he shows the painful efforts of the princes and heads of republics, dragged into continuous wars, trying to defend, to confederate, to seek help in various foreign powers in order to save themselves from the oppression of the rulers. His genius, intuitive and painfully prophetic, discerns the events from the things; he pronounces what he develops as ‘safe judgments’ and recommends possible remedies to save the nation.

Retinal Blood Vessel Segmentation on Style-augmented Images

The average human lifespan increased dramatically in the second half of 20th century. It was mainly due to technological improvements, which were driven by the continuous war preparations, and while humans have got another 20 years to live, unfortunately there are some sad side effects added to the elderly life. Various diseases can attack the eye, our major organ responsible for receiving information, therefore many researches were devoted to examine these diseases, their early signs, and how could they be stopped. From the start of 21th century, methods aided by computer were more and more involved in these processes, up to the current trend of using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). While supervised methods, CNNs do achieve accuracy which can be compared to a skilled ophtalmologist, they require a tremendous amount of labeled data which is sparse in medical fields because the amount of time and resources needed to create them. One natural solution is to augment the data present, that is, copying the distribution while adding a small variety, like coloring an image differently. That is, what our paper aims to explore, whether a texturing algorithm, the Neural Style Transfery can be used to make a data set richer, and therefore helping a classifier CNN to achieve better results.

PERCEPTION OF THE FUTURE AS A FACTOR OF UKRAINIAN YOUTH’S MIGRATORY INTENTIONS DURING THE WAR CONFLICT

The article studies the ideas about one’s own future and the future of the country as a factor of Ukrainian youth’s migratory intentions. The number of migrants is constantly increasing year by year, and, given the difficult situation in Ukraine, a trend toward decrease is not expected. Since an image of the future is closely related to the goal-setting, expectations, desires, a person’s ideas about the past and the future, it is reflected in decisions taken by each individual, which are linked with the formation of migratory intentions in our study. The study was carried out with the following methods: associative experiment, bipolar semantic differential and surveys. The sample included three groups: group 1 - migrants living outside Ukraine; group 2 - people planning to leave Ukraine within a year; group 3 - those who planned to stay in Ukraine. The results of the associative experiment showed that one’s own future, on the one hand, was perceived as happy, in family, close to nature, with development and recreation, prosperous, successful, stable, active, promising; on the other hand, it was described as unknown, uncontrolled, alarming. The future of Ukraine, on the one hand, was perceived as hopeless, full of obstacles, trials and anxieties, fears associated with the continued war, poverty and misfortune; on the other, it was described as cohesive, happy, pure, changed, peaceful, united, full of power and hopes for the better life, independent, rich, prosperous and generally optimistic. The results obtained by the method of the semantic differential were analysed to form the factor structure; the image of “My future” consisted of seven factors: “Optimism”, “Dynamics”, “Prosperity”, “Social Norms”, “Stability”, “Life in Nature”, “Predictability". The factor structure of the image of “The future of Ukraine” consisted of four factors: “Successful Country”, “United People”, “Light-heartedness”, “Desired Topical Changes”. Differences between groups as for the perception of their own future were found for the scales: “dependent - independent”, “simple - complex”, “traditional - unusual”, “confident - uncertain”, “specific - abstract”, “healthy - morbid”; as for the perception of the future of Ukraine, differences were determined for the scales: “happy - unhappy”, “full of power - tired”, “rapid - gradual”," “free - dependent”, “promising - hopeless”, “near - distant”, “in development - stagnating”, “integrated - separated”. As for compared ranking in the perception of the images “My future” and “The future of Ukraine”, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups, but there were differences as tendencies for such factors as “Dynamics”, “Stability”, “Life in Nature”, “Predictability”; “Successful country”, “People in cohesion”. The future of Ukraine was perceived by young people with taking into account several aspects: economic development, prospects, wealth, strength; social aspect (including people, their cohesion and ability to act together); emotional aspect (giving preference to serenity and easiness, peace and stability, which together created a sense of security); time aspect that aimed at the near future and desired changes. The overall picture was also depicted in the positive characteristics. One’s own future was perceives more distinctive than the future of Ukraine, which was simplified. Some characteristics were similar; both images had: optimistic successful vision, the desire for confidence and stability. However, the perception of one’s own future included the factor of dynamics, but the factor of stability was absent, which showed understanding by the respondents the need for development; and there was not any factor of changes in the near future, rather the distant future was perceived, for example, family. As for the future of Ukraine, the time factor could be provoked by the current military conflict.

ПРОБЛЕМА ТРАДИЦИОННОСТИ ЯРМАРОЧНОГО НАРОДНОГО КУКОЛЬНОГО ТЕАТРА В СЕРБИИ: «КУКУ ТОДОР», 1904-2021

During globalization and general universalization in society, issues of originality of certain forms and typology of heroes are raised, and not only in the theater, including puppet theater, but in all areas of culture. All this is an integral part of the process of searching for one's own national identity. The problem of traditionality is present in many segments of the culture of all peoples, including the Serbs. The issue of authenticity and tradition of the folk puppet theater "Kuku Todor" in Serbia, due to numerous reasons, is still far from being resolved. The words “tradition, traditional type, traditional hero…” are often mentioned in the context of this theater and its main character in Serbia. But what is behind this? Where did it come from among the Serbs, and why, when exactly do they return to it? What makes Kuku Todor a member of the great world brotherhood of puppet comedy heroes of folk theaters and in what ways do we find deviations from them? In this article, we partially consider the long-standing phenomenon of categorizing this performance as part of a tradition in Serbian theatrical culture, despite the lack of fixation of such a phenomenon in science. We will try to find answers to the questions before us, taking into account the historical facts related to the continuous wars in the Balkan spaces and,above all, in Serbia, which we are talking about.

PRIVREDA KRAGUJEVCA U PERIODU VELIKE KRIZE (1929 – 1934)

During the creation of the modern Serbian state, Kragujevac had a continuous development, primarilythanks to its geographical position, and then to various political decisions. At the beginning of the 20th century it was the Turkish city and over time it became a real European city with all those elements of development in the 19th century. First of all, thanks to the wisdom of Prince Miloš Obrenović, various institutions were founded in Kragujevac, both administrative and educational and also cultural, and thanks to him Kragujevac became not only the center of the principality of Serbia, still under the supreme Ottoman rule, but also the center of liberation movements, which developed in this period not only in the Serbian national territories but also throughout the Balkans. The decisions of the Turkish sultans were read in Kragujevac,enablingthe city with a wide degree of autonomy so that the release from external pressure became stronger and the internal influence was felt less and less. In the process, internal political freedoms processes were also getting stronger. The Sretenje Constitution passed in 1835, and it foresaw the restriction of the Prince's power and the division into judicial executive and legislative power. The development of political freedoms was unstoppable and a certain number of laws were passed, predicting economic freedom. After passing the Constitution in 1869, and political events culminated in Kragujevac, the Principality of Serbia became an independent state, in August 1878, with the declaration of the decisions of the Congress of Berlin. Political actions after this period shifted to Belgrade, and Kragujevac gradually lost its political significance, although assemblies convened in this period. At the beginning of the Great War, Kragujevac became the military capital of the Kingdom of Serbia. Apart from these political events, Kragujevac was also developing economically, which was documented by the increase in population. One of the most important events that will undoubtedly play the most significant role in its development was Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević's decision to found the first modern arms factory in the Principality of Serbia - Topolivnica. Kragujevac, as well as Prince Miloš, was chosen because of its position. During this period, the middle of the 19th century, revolutionary changes took place throughout Europe. Topolivnica had a continuous development, and thanks to its rapid modernization Kragujevac received the first electric lighting in Serbia. It is important to emphasize that the foundation of the Military School of Arts and Crafts enabled an educated workforce in Kragujevac. Kragujevac was also the center of new political ideas that dominated throughout Europe in that period. Simultaneously with the development of the Military Factory, smaller other industrial companies were created, initially intended for the local market, however, they developed over time, especially in the early 20th century.During the continuous wars waged by the Kingdom of Serbia from 1912-1918, the economic development ceased in Kragujevac. Significant civil and budgetary losses happened in this period, as in other parts of the Kingdom of Serbia. After the First World War, the facilities of the Military Factory were devastated. The gradual recovery began in the 1920s when the elite of the newly created state decided to renovate military-industrial facilities, and the number of workers started to grow. Before the war, there were about 45,000 of them. Military and economic agreements with the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of France enabled the import of new modern weapons technology. All these decisions had considerable consequences for the local economy so that in this first period, the number of craft shops and privately owned industrial companies significantly increased (Stefanovići and Fijale). A time of crisis in foreign relations with the surrounding countries brought faster and greater investments into military-industrial facilities throughout the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, as well as in Kragujevac. This development also enables the strengthening of local infrastructure. This continuous development of the city lasted until 1930. Due to the Great World Economic crisis, there was a decline and significant losses appeared in the economy around the world. The Great World Economic crisis hit the private craft sector, trade and financial institutions the hardest. The production volume had been reduced by almost 2/3 and traders had a reduced sales volume. The only thing that helped maintenance of the economy in this period was the existence of the Military Technical Institute, and thanks to its existence, unemployed craftsmen had the opportunity to get a job again. Kragujevac, like other cities, did not feel the consequences of the crisis to that extent, thanks to the large military factory that employed the largest part of the population fit for military service.

Finland’s Continuation War (1941–1944): War of Aggression or Defence? War of Alliance or Separate War?

In September 1939, after having included a secret protocol on spheres of influence in the so-called Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact, Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland and divided it between themselves. It was not long before the Soviet Union approached Finland by proposing exchanges of certain territories: ‘in our national interest we want to have from you certain territories and offer in exchange territories twice as large but in less crucial areas’. Finland, suspicious of Soviet motives, refused – the outcome was the Soviet war of aggression against Finland by the name of the Winter War in 1939–1940. The Soviet Union won this war and compelled Finland to cede several territories – about 10 per cent of Finland’s area. After the Winter War, Finland sought protection from Germany against the Soviet Union and decided to rely on Germany. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, Finland joined the German war effort in the so-called Continuation War and reoccupied the territories lost in the Winter War. Finnish forces did not stop at the old border but occupied Eastern (Soviet) Karelia with a desire eventually to annex it. By that measure, Finland joined as Germany’s ally in its war of aggression against the Soviet Union in violation of international law. In their strong reliance on Germany, the Finnish leaders made some very questionable decisions without listening to warnings from Western States about possible negative consequences. Germany lost its war and so did Finland, which barely avoided entire occupation by the Soviet Army and succeeded in September 1944 in concluding an armistice with the Soviet Union. Finland lost some more territories and was subjected to many obligations and restrictions in the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty, dictated by the Allies. This article analyses, according to the criteria of international law, Finland’s policy shortly prior to and during the Continuation War, especially Finland’s secret dealings with Germany in the months prior to the German attack against the Soviet Union and Finland’s occupation of Eastern Karelia in the autumn of 1941. After Adolf Hitler declared that Germany was fighting against the Soviet Union together with Finland and Romania, was the Soviet Union entitled – prior to the Finnish attack – to resort to armed force in self-defence against Finland? And was Finland treated too harshly in the aftermath of World War ii? After all, its role as an ally of Germany had been rather limited.

The “Total Continuous War” and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Neoliberal Governmentality, Disposable Bodies and Protected Lives

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we very often heard the expression “We are at war,” but the warlike tactics that appeared more visibly during the pandemic have been long before used and deployed against the most precarious bodies among us (Butler). In fact, the “danger” constituted by the narrative of fighting the pandemic served in imposing security apparatus and exceptional measures, as well as deepening the “structural reforms” that neoliberal governments consider as their sole task to carry out (Federici). Thus, the rhetorical resource of the pandemic danger gave legitimacy to the expansion of warlike strategies with the complacency of the whole population. In the present paper, drawing on an analysis of what we consider to be the main neoliberal governmental strategies in the way of dealing with the pandemic, we question the logic of a “total continuous war” (Foucault), carried out in particular through different bodies hierarchization and the designs of post-pandemic societies. This reflection has been developed in three steps: first, we question what is this war that the COVID-19 pandemic made more visible. In a second part, we observe government tactics and its relation with the rhetoric of war, which allows neoliberal governments to expose differently the human bodies (Agamben). Finally, we examine the relation between bio-necro-policies and the urgency of promoting a total continuous war that opposes disposable bodies to lives that neoliberal governments seek to protect.

Notes on three periods of rabies focus in the Middle East: From progress during the cradle of civilization to neglected current history.

Rabies is a historical scourge as well as one of the most neglected infectious diseases. While the developed world has rolled back dog-mediated human rabies, thanks to social interventions and modern rabies vaccines, African and Asian countries still struggle with a significant burden due to this viral zoonosis. The Middle East, which includes both Asian and African countries, still has localities in which dog-mediated rabies remains endemic although it is the region that first documented rabies historically. The oldest putative record of this fatal encephalitis may date back at least 4,000years and is believed to originate from ancient Mesopotamia. In this historical review, we describe rabies through three major time periods (ancient, the Islamic Golden Age and more recent history) of the Middle East. Inarguably, the Middle East experienced great medical development during the Islamic Golden Age. Proof of early rabies prevention, control and proposed treatment strategies existed which we only perceive anew via modern science. Such rabies strategies were neglected severely due in no small part to the influence of Middle Eastern rulers, who steered scholars away from this field to a broader toxicological focus, because they feared assassination from poisoning. Such setbacks are coupled with constant social and political unrest and continuous wars in the Middle East to modern times. This situation leads to an inconstancy in rabies surveillance and reporting of data, neglect of prevention and control strategies, and subsequently a devolvement of rabies management strategies in this unstable region of the world.

The ghosts in the archive: World War Two photography and landscapes crafted by the Nazis in Finland

ABSTRACT The Finnish wartime landscape was altered by Nazi troops who were stationed there during World War Two. This paper examines wartime sceneries through Finnish Army Information Company’s photographs from the period of the war known in Finland as the Continuation War (1941–1944). The images reveal a completely different side to the Nazi co-belligerence to what is traditionally acknowledged in Finland. I discuss the ways the Nazi troops altered the Finnish landscape, adding `German-ness´ to their surroundings and more specifically, how Nazi ideology manifested in the northern Finnish landscapes. The Finns have been completely oblivious to the symbolic messages the Nazis crafted in their surroundings. Photographs as haunting representation addresses in this paper both the difficult memory of German presence that frames these pictures and the specific potency of these photographic encounters. Haunting as a theory deals with the evocative ways an image can convey information about the past.

Dimensões do governo colonial em Moçâmedes e suas conexões com o Brasil: trabalho, negócios e conflitos, 1840-1860

Este artigo mapeia conexões de homens, saberes e negócios entre Portugal, Angola e o Brasil nos anos de 1840 a 1860. Investigo a circulação dos saberes de produção de commodities, assim como pretendo esmiuçar as práticas da administração colonial, especialmente sobre as formas de arregimentação do trabalho (especializado e braçal) nesse momento dos cruzadores e dos tratados antitráfico. Busco ressaltar as tensões, embates e uma persistente resistência que operava de diversas formas, seja na recusa ao trabalho, na fuga, na luta institucional ou na guerra. O artigo tem quatro partes: na primeira, examino a circulação de ideias sobre a colonização militar nesse período; em seguida, procuro observar, no estabelecimento de Moçâmedes, as suas conexões com o Brasil; em uma terceira parte, estudo a fundamental presença dos trabalhadores libertos e escravos; e, por fim, trato das contínuas guerras travadas na região, sobretudo nos últimos anos da década de 1850. Ao longo do artigo, estão algumas trajetórias reveladoras de percursos atlânticos nos negócios e na administração colonial: indivíduos formados nas lutas políticas dos anos 1820-1830 que assumiam novos (velhos) papéis nos novos (velhos) tempos da colonização.

A duration estimator for a continuous time war of attrition game

AbstractWe developed a maximum likelihood estimator corresponding to the predicted hazard rate that emerges from a continuous time game of incomplete information with a fixed time horizon (i.e., Kreps and Wilson, 1982, Journal of Economic Theory27, 253–279). Such games have been widely applied in economics and political science and involve two players engaged in a war of attrition contest over some prize that they both value. Each player can be either a strong or weak competitor. In the equilibrium of interest, strong players do not quit whereas weak players play a mixed strategy characterized by a hazard rate that increases up to an endogenous point in time, after which only strong players remain. The observed length of the contest can therefore be modeled as a mixture between two unobserved underlying durations: one that increases until it abruptly ends at an endogenous point in time and a second involving two strong players that continues indefinitely. We illustrate this estimator by studying the durations of Senate filibusters and international crises.

Challenges of transboundary water governance in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has five major river basins which four of them are transboundary and shared with Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian Countries (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan). Transboundary water governance and bilateral or regional agreements and cooperation with riparian countries have always been challenging for Afghanistan. Continuous war and insecurity left a fragile governance system in Afghanistan. Lack of human capacity in terms of policy making and strategic planning and weak economy in one hand and the limited hydro-meteorological data and technical knowledge about Water management on the other hand, alienated Afghanistan from all cooperative frameworks on Amu Darya River and two other its major river basins. In this paper, the initiatives and plans which have been implemented by the Afghan Government and international community for enhancing human capacity and hydro-meteorological data acquisition for developing a suitable mechanism for managing transboundary waters for the purpose of economic growth of Afghanistan and regional cooperation on transboundary water between Afghanistan and riparian countries have been analyzed. However, several challenges still exit in terms of water management in Afghanistan to be tackled in. The challenges which Afghanistan has been experiencing in last forty years in water governance sector based on academic and policy literatures being reviewed and some solutions for overcoming the challenges are provided. In conclusion, steps and measures which further needed to be put forward by the Afghan government and international community to reach a regional cooperation framework on transboundary waters between Afghanistan and other riparian countries are proposed.

Men's Perception of Women Regarding the Internet Usage in the Khyber Agency Pakistan: An Exploratory Study

Khyber agency is located near the border of Afghanistan, due to continuous war in Afghanistan, patriarchal society and domination of males, the women of Khyber agency have no access to education, basic human rights and internet technologies. This paper investigated the gender discrimination in the use of the internet in the Khyber agency of Pakistan, the war-torn area adjacent to Afghanistan. A mixed method approach visa-vis in-depth interviews and purposive survey of the respondents was used to collect data. The in-depth interviews were analyzed using NVivo and SPSS was employed to analyze survey data. The findings indicate that there is a digital divide that promotes gender discrimination in the Khyber agency regarding the internet usage. The patriarchal nature of the tribal society deprives women from internet contributing to the gender discrimination. Additionally, the male dominance of the rural tribal society is associated with stereotypical discourses of women.