Military Connections Research Articles

‘A Necessary Evil?’: (Southern) Rhodesia’s Diplomatic and Economic Relations with Zambia, 1963 to 1973

This paper historicises the diplomatic and economic relations of Southern Rhodesia and Zambia between 1963 and 1973. While there has been comprehensive scholarship delineating the relations between, for instance, Zimbabwe and South Africa over the years, neighbouring Zambia has hitherto been given little attention by historians. Where the relations of Zimbabwe and Zambia have been examined, this has been in the context of political and military connections between Zambia’s United National Independence Party-led government and the Zimbabwean liberation movements the Zimbabwe African National Union and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union. In terms of Zambia–Rhodesia economic and diplomatic interactions, much has been written on how Zambia fared against the backdrop of Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence and the sanctions that followed, from the point of view of Zambia. We shift the focus because there is very little scholarship on the Rhodesian point of view, particularly its relations with Zambia in the period covered by this article. Using archival sources, newspapers and secondary literature, we contend that until the closure of the Rhodesia–Zambia border, the connection between the two countries was characterised by a cautious partnership marked by both covert and overt hostility, which escalated to an outright breakdown of border relations in 1973. Essentially, economic diplomacy became a critical tool deployed by Rhodesia towards Zambia to survive times of financial challenges precipitated by sanctions imposed by Britain and the United Nations, as well as the context of wars of liberation waged in Rhodesia since 1966.

Military connections, corporate governance and corporate tax avoidance

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between military connections and tax avoidance in Indonesia. Further, the paper examines whether the relationship between military connections and tax avoidance is impacted by three corporate governance variables: auditor size or Big 4, board size and audit committee independence. Indonesia's settings allow for a unique investigation, as military involvement has been documented.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses Indonesia as the research setting because its military forces have a long history of business involvement. The sample includes 1,986 firm-year observations on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2018. The period signifies the time of significant change post-Suharto to illustrate changes in military reform.FindingsMilitary-connected firms recorded a negative relationship with effective tax rates, indicating higher tax avoidance. The authors extend this test by considering three corporate governance variables: Big 4, board size and audit committee independence. They find the corporate governance variables are ineffective in mitigating the positive impact of military-connected firms and corporate tax avoidance. The results remain consistent when performing endogeneity tests.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the extant literature by examining the impact of military connections on tax avoidance. The findings reflect Indonesia's institutional settings depicting military and political connections.

India-hina Trade and Partnership in Global Harmony

In China and India, the titans of Asia are emerging. Both nations are the most populous in the world, and their populations are increasing at the fastest rate. Additionally, their bilateral relationship has strengthened as a result of the significant expansion of China and India's global diplomatic and economic influence. For centuries, China and India have coexisted in harmony, as they are two of the earliest cultures in the world. Both countries have made efforts to establish fruitful political, diplomatic, and economic relationships. India's policy and security connections have been fortified by the two nations, and China has emerged as its largest trading partner. China has become India's largest trading partner, as the two nations strive to expand their economic and military connections. The economic relationship between the two countries is anticipated to be one of the strongest bilateral relations in the current global economic situation, and this development is expected to continue in the coming years. Both nations are currently in the process of developing a variety of issues, such as military, fiscal, cultural, and diplomatic cooperation. The two administrations maintain a substantial relationship; their respective roles in critical matters are considerably more well-defined, and their mutual objectives are considerably more apparent.

Painter Leonardo da Vinci or Leonardo from Caffa in Crimea: Challenging the attribution of selected documents

This article reinterprets four documents attributed to the artist Leonardo da Vinci. These documents include a drawing considered to be a Tuscan landscape with an inscribed date of August 5, 1473, a single double-sided page with drawings, writings, and a tensioning crossbow design dated 1478, a drawing of a hanged man dated 1479, and a letter written in Turkish to the Sultan of Istanbul dated circa 1502. If the Tuscan painter created these documents, he was pursuing an alternative career as a scientist. However, the information is incomplete and inaccurate. First, the landscape does not represent Tuscany. Instead, further research indicates that it is the depiction of a fortress in Crimea that relates to significant events occurring in the Ottoman arena between 1473 and 1475. Second, biographers have failed to show evidence that the Tuscan painter had military connections, raising the issue of a non-affiliation with any militia. Third, the sketch of a hanged man focuses an unexplained attention on the victim’s Turkish style of dress. Finally, a letter sent to Istanbul around 1502 claimed Leonardo was Genoese. Taking note of these points, a cumulative reading of the evidence shows that the man who crafted these documents originated from Caffa, a Genoese colony on the Black Sea that the Ottomans captured in 1475. Although this might sound speculative, further documents discussed in the final section indicate that Florence banished the Tuscan painter Leonardo da Vinci around 1477 and that he later died in Bologna in 1499. Therefore, this Tuscan Leonardo could not have written the Notebooks, and the man who died in France in 1519 could not have been him. The research adds a deeper understanding of Turkish influences in the documents and highlights how information gathered outside Europe can better explain them. The findings urge Western art historians to expand their research and to reconsider other authors.

Chiming In with the Global Zeitgeist: Egypt's Looking-East Policy and Its Undercurrent of Dichotomy

Despite its relatively long record of relationship with Eastern nations, Egypt has belatedly embarked upon a Look East orientation in the post-Mubarak era. Egypt's new Look East policy, in contrast to Cairo's erstwhile political and military connections with the East, is primarily aimed at gaining some immediate economic and financial rewards from fostering closer ties, particularly with a number of resourceful and rising Asian powers. Moreover, the Egyptian approach is in tune with certain critical politico-economic objectives of these Asian stakeholders, giving Egypt a significant role in serving as a bridge of sorts to connect the East with a larger African continent. Another more important salient feature of this Look East approach is that the growing nexus between Cairo and the political capitals of major Eastern countries would benefit Egypt substantially in long run only if the Middle Eastern nation could make the most of its geopolitical and demographic advantages by skillfully managing its somewhat complex relationship with powerful Western powers, especially the United States.

Peran Political dan Military Connections terhadap Pengungkapan Corporate Social Responsibility Perusahaan Pertambangan di Indonesia

This study investigates whether political connections and military connections influence the level of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure in mining companies in Indonesia. The study employs a quantitative method with the population in mining sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2019 to 2021. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling method, totalling 102 samples from 34 mining sector companies listed on IDX for the 2019-2021 period. The data analysis techniques used panel data regression analysis with the EViews12 tools. The results show that political connections and military connections have a positive effect on CSR disclosure. Furthermore, this study used control variables, revealing that earnings management and financial performance don’t show a significant impact on CSR, while company size has a negative effect on CSR disclosure. The limitations of this study are associated with the sample size, which includes only mining companies in Indonesia and utilizes data from the past three years. During this period, the samples were under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, for future study, it is necessary to expand the research time frame by involving a longer period. With an enhancement in CSR, it is also expected to contribute positively to financial performance. Keywords: Political Connection, Military Connection, Corporate Social Responsibility

Military directors and audit fees

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between companies with military directors and audit fees in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachUsing upper echelon and audit pricing theories, the authors examine military directors' roles in the demand for and supply of auditing services. The authors use Indonesia as their research setting as their military forces have a long history of involvement in business. The study sample includes 898 firm-year observations on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during 2014–2018.FindingsThe authors find a negative relationship between military connections and audit fees. This is consistent with auditors assessing lower audit risk and charging lower audit fees to companies that have leaders with military experience. The study findings are strongest where there is military experience on the board of directors and where the military experience is from the Army.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature on the benefits of military experience in company leadership, especially in the context of auditing research. The study findings also have implications for the selection of board candidates and auditor risk assessments.

Illusions of Empire: The Civil War and Reconstruction in the US-Mexico Borderlands

Illusions of Empire: The Civil War and Reconstruction in the US-Mexico Borderlands

Service, Scholarship, and Sacrifice: A Qualitative Analysis of Food Security Barriers and Strategies among Military-Connected Students.

In the United States, 41% of 4-year university student veterans have reported food insecurity, but literature on food insecurity among military-connected students is limited. The objective of the study was to increase knowledge of military-connected student food insecurity experiences and potential strategies to address food access. The study is a cross-sectional survey and nonexperimental qualitative cohort analysis. Military-connected students (n= 127) responded to a survey sampling all enrolled students at a Mountain West land grant university during spring 2020. Military-connected student focus group participants (n= 8) were purposively sampled from the same university during fall2020. Main outcome measures were demographic data and food insecurity rates. Qualitative measures included responses to questions about food insecurity among military-connected students, actions for improving food insecurity, and insight into food access resources on campus. Descriptive statistics were used to determine food insecurity rates. Qualitative analysis included audio recording and transcription, then a step-by-step process for coding and theme development. Food insecurity was reported by 42.5% of military-connected student survey respondents. Qualitative analysis revealed themes about current and planned food access resources, barriers to food security, and strategies to promote military-connected student food security. Main themes related to resources were access to resources and food offerings. Main barrier themes were pride and shame. Main strategy themes included military pride and military connections and culture. Military-connected students are at least as vulnerable to food insecurity as the student body at large. Qualitative analysis identified barriers and strategies for food security among military-connected students. Feelings of pride in identifying with the military seemed to amplify feelings of shame about food insecurity; however, this pride and sense of military community also suggest that food security efforts specifically tailored to military-connected students could be successful.

Turkey in the Horn of Africa: Turkish-Somali Military Connections Focused on the Turkish Military Camp in Mogadishu, Somalia

Turkey has started to build closer ties with Somalia in the last decade. Somalia is in a strategically located at a key point in Africa which is also of global importance asa gateway from the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, leading to the Mediterranean. This indicates that many world powers want to gain influence in Somalia, but when the African country was in serious crisis, Turkey took advantage of the difficult times to step in, show its power and start building connections in the Horn of Africa. In 2011, during the humanitarian crisis, which devastated Somalia, Turkey helped the country with important and unforgettable volume. Since then, the relations between the two countries have been strengthening connections. In 2023 we can state that Turkey has its largest embassy in the world in Somalia, Turkey has a huge military camp in Somalia’s capital, Turkish companies run the Mogadishu’s international airport and international port, and one of the Mogadishu’s biggest hospital is named after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as Turkey renovated the facility.

The Role of Environmental Management System, Environmental Performance, and Military Connections to Carbon Emission Disclosure

This study aims to examine the role of environmental management systems, environmental performance, and military connections to the disclosure of carbon emissions. This study focuses on companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2017-2020. Hypothesis testing using multiple linear regression. Test-F shows a stable and significant model. The research results show four variables that have been proven to be insignificant to carbon emissions, namely the environmental management system, military connections, size firms, and leverage. Environmental performance and age firms in this research have affected a positive and significant impact on the disclosure of carbon emissions. This demonstrates that companies that receive the PROPER Awards from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry are those with good environmental performance in accordance with government regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

‘The Little Nothings of Our Life’: Furlough, Recovery and Imperial Interlude at the Cape Colony, 1796–1850

ABSTRACT In 1849, John Colpoys Haughton embarked for a period of rest and recuperation at the Cape of Good Hope. This article uses correspondence between Haughton, an Indian army officer in South Africa, and his family in Britain to explore personal experiences of furlough and to foreground the role of the Cape Colony as a site of recovery and recuperation. Haughton’s example emphasises the importance of health and well-being in facilitating, or curtailing, the mid-nineteenth-century British Empire and those in its service. His experiences illuminate broader issues in Britain’s nineteenth-century world: the logistics and practicalities of embarking on an extended leave of absence; the representation of the Cape as a place of healthfulness; the complex relationship between ideas of home and belonging for those on furlough there; and the enduring significance of familial connections. The correspondence generated during Haughton’s sojourn at the Cape illustrates the wider mechanics of imperial careering and communication in the period, highlighting the familial and personal networks that existed in parallel with professional, economic and military connections, and demonstrating the continued importance of these social ties. Although Haughton arrived at the Cape in search of health, and his letters were ostensibly about ‘the little nothings of our life’, they tell us just as much about the mid-nineteenth-century empire. Ultimately, Haughton’s example takes us across oceans, connecting people and places on three continents, and underlining the dynamic and complex lines of communication that criss-crossed the British Empire in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Families of Origin: The Experience of Parents of Single Military Members

Enlisting in the military is a career choice that impacts the entire family unit. Many research studies have examined the effect of military life on spouses and children of military members; however little research to date has examined the experience of parents of adult children, especially for those of single Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. Given that many military members are often younger and not yet in stable romantic relationships, parents are often a primary source of emotional and instrumental support. Building on military family research, the current study was conducted to gain a greater understanding of parents’ experiences upon the enlistment of their adult children and adjustment to their military career. Parents of single CAF members’ experiences were examined through a series of semi-structured interviews and focus groups in seven major Canadian cities. The study group consisted of 55 participants with a mean age of 56 years. Thematic analysis was employed to identify common themes across interviews and focus groups. Results suggest that parents often experience fear and worry over their children’s wellbeing, loss of control, and uncertainty. They strive to maintain connection to their adult children and provide emotional, instrumental, and financial support. Over time, many parents are able to develop increased resilience and adjustment to their children’s careers, in part due to the development of military connections, informal and formal support, and adaptive coping methods. The findings are discussed in relation to improving parental resilience and how the CAF may best support them.

Political connections, political uncertainty and audit fees: evidence from Pakistan

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the association between political connections, political uncertainty and audit fees. The authors use various measures of political connections and uncertainty: political connections (civil and military), political events (elections) and a general measure of political stability (i.e. a world bank index).Design/methodology/approachThe authors measure the association between political connections, political uncertainty and audit fees. Audit fees reflect auditors’ perceptions of risk. The authors examine auditors’ business risk, clients’ audit and business risk after controlling for the variables used in prior audit fee research.FindingsResults indicate that civil-connected firms pay significantly higher audit fees than non-connected firms owing to the instability of civil-political connections. Military-connected firms pay significantly lower audit fees than non-connected firms owing to the stable form of government. Furthermore, considering high leverage as a measure of clients’ high audit risk and high return-on-assets (ROA) as a measure of clients’ lower business risk, the authors interact leverage and ROA with civil and military connections. The results reveal that these risks moderate the relationship between political connection and audit fees. Election risk is independent of risk associated with political connections. General political stability reinforces the theme that a stable government results in lower risks.Originality/valueThe authors combine cross-sectional measures of political uncertainty (civil or military connections) with time-dependent measures (general measures of political instability and elections).

The Black Pacific

Nitasha Sharma expands the focus on Black military connections to the Pacific, pointing to a wide catalog of Black diasporic encounters beyond of the context of US imperialism. Paying attention to both the longer history and contemporary lived experiences of nonmilitary Black civilians in Oceania can redirect colonial binaries of race (Black/White) and settler colonialism (native/settler) and address antiBlack racism in Pacific societies. Simeon Man provides a commentary on Sharma’s work, highlighting how it can turn our attention to the concrete and varied reasons for Black movement to and presence in the Pacific, as well as to the different relations of power and modes of anti-Blackness formed within colonized contexts.

Military Political Connection and Firm Value—Empirical Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Thailand

ABSTRACT This paper uses the exogenous shock- Thailand military coup on May 22, 2014-as a natural experiment to test the impact of military political connections on the value of Thai’s listed firms. Results show that the military coup will bring significant benefits to the share price of listed firms with military political connections. Moreover, the DID estimations show that the military rule can significantly increase the Tobin’s Q of military political affiliates after the military coup. The main influential mechanism is that, after the military is in power, the listed firms will hire personnel with military background to enter the management. This move will bring long-term financing convenience to the military politically connected firms and enable them to use more funds to capital investment and R & D activities.

Background Migration over Time: the Irish in mid-Victorian Cornwall

The census manuscripts of 1841 and 1851 show that Cornwall was just a way-station for the Irish-born. They came from southern Ireland, put down few local roots and moved on, with only 30 per cent remaining in the county and 15 per cent in the same parish. Few found jobs in agriculture or mining, Cornwall's leading industries. Many were unmarried and, of those who were married, most had English spouses. In 1841 60 per cent of Irish husbands with Irish wives had military or government connections. Perhaps 20 per cent of the Irish-born were not migrants in the usual sense, being visitors, students or the children of English-born parents.

Military Background, Political Connection, Audit Quality And Earning Quality

This research is try to determine the effect of military background and political connections on earning quality with audit quality as a mediator. This research uses a quantitative approach using a sample of mining sector company that listing in Indonesia Stock Exchange in the 2017-2018 periods. The conclusion of this research points out that military background has positive effect on audit quality and political connections negatively affect earning quality. While earning quality not effected by the military background, political connections do not effect audit quality, and earnings quality not effected by audit quality. Likewise, for the hypothesis, mediation of the audit quality has no effect on the relationship of military background and political connections to earnings quality.

Military reform, militarily-connected firms and auditor choice

PurposeOne of the strongest connections in politics in developing countries is through military links. This study aims to examine the auditor choice preference of the militarily-connected firms in Indonesia, an emerging country where there is a strong influence from the military on political decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis used 3,473 firms-year observations listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange spanning from 2003 to 2017 using regression and other statistical tests.FindingsThe results reveal that firms with a militarily-connected director are less likely to appoint one of the Big 4 auditors. Using the military reform as a natural experiment, the finding shows that militarily-connected firms did not change their auditor choice preference even after the military reform. Interestingly, I find that connected firms are associated with high earnings management. In addition, the different retirement position level and military affiliations of the connected directors generate different outcomes related to the auditor choice decision. Overall, the results indicate that militarily-connected firms were less likely to appoint one of the Big 4 auditors both before and after the military reforms. These results are robust, even after the author controlled for political connections, year fixed effects and industry fixed effects.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the limitations of the prior literature on military connections, this study is developed based on the assumption that the militarily-connected directors have identical behavior whether they serve in either public or private companies. However, this assumption could be invalid which potentially affects the interpretation of some of the results in this study.Originality/valueThis paper provides direct evidence of the auditor choice preference of firms with a military connection. The evidence builds on the existing literature on the difference in auditor choice preference between politically and militarily-connected firms.

Green Earth: Carbon Emissions, ISO 14001, Governance Structures, Militarily Connected from the Manufacturing Industries in Indonesia

Research aims: This study aims to examine the effect of ISO 14001 empirically, Governance Structures and companies led by back with a military to carbon emissions disclosure in the manufacturing company that registered at the (IDX) Indonesian Stock Exchange of 2013 to 2017. Design/Methodology/Approach: The sample in this research was 53 companies chosen based on purposive sampling technique. The data used was 265 observation. The testing of hypotheses uses Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression with STATA v14. Research findings: The research results show that there are three variables have proven to be not significant to carbon emissions, namely board independent, military connection, and return of equity. Research proves that board independent, military relationship, and return of equity did not affect commitment to express carbon emissions. On the other hand, this research demonstrates that there is four a variable that has significant impact on the carbon emission disclosure in manufacturing company that is, board size, ISO 14001, firms size and leverage. Theoretical contribution/ Originality: This research explain that the average Carbon Emission Disclosure (CED) performance of companies that have military-connected is higher than companies that not military-connected. Companies that have an ISO 14001 certificate with military connections have a higher average and are significantly higher than companies that are not connected with the military. Practitioner/Policy implication: The results of this study indicate the importance for companies to pay attention to the environment of production activities and the need for the government to set standards for disclosure of carbon emissions in order to achieve clean. Research limitation/Implication: The research carried out is still limited to companies that publish carbon emissions disclosures, inconsistent and still relatively low because disclosure of carbon emissions is still voluntary.