Persistent Insecurity Research Articles

Electric Eyes

In 1977, U.S. Border Patrol Pilot George Watson praised the latest addition to the agency’s fleet in a photo-essay for INS Reporter. “A new dimension in enforcement capability began with the Hughes 500 helicopter,” he vowed. To illustrate the fruits of modernization, Watson included aerial shots of an arrest in the San Ysidro desert. “Before,” he explained, “aliens” would “sweep across” the border. Now, “Fox Trot’s light in the sky is bad news. Migrants hit the deck. They cannot escape.” Less than a decade later, the magazine admitted that, for the first time, one million “illegals” had been apprehended in a single year. Despite the slew of surveillance technologies at its disposal—helicopters, infrared scopes, night-vision goggles, low-light television systems, and “electric eye” ground sensors—the Border Patrol was outmatched. This article mines interviews, memoirs, promotional materials, and archival photographs from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) History Office and Library to flesh out the intimate links between visuality, surveillance, border policing, and xenophobic nationalism. Amid hysteria over unauthorized migration in the wake of the Bracero Program (1942–1964), the Border Patrol began to represent sovereignty on the U.S.–Mexico line as a visual project. It resurrected rudimentary tools (e.g. sign cutting) and adopted increasingly sophisticated optical devices. To advertise its vigilance, the agency turned to the camera. Via publicity and commemorative projects, the Border Patrol crafted an institutional iconography that showcased its prescient, scientific oversight even as it displayed the U.S.–Mexico boundary’s persistent insecurity. Throughout, it positioned the undocumented as invasive enemies. Ultimately, the Border Patrol leaned on a visual culture that glorified surveillance to justify the state’s sovereign right to police mobility. Insidiously, it fueled xenophobia by othering Mexican migrants. And it reimagined the U.S.–Mexico border as the site of a forever war: a perpetually vulnerable zone where perfected observation was a required—but never finished—pursuit.

Impact of Terrorism on the Use of Healthcare Services in Burkina Faso Between 2015 and 2022.

Burkina Faso has been facing a security crisis due to terrorism since 2015. This study aims to assess the impact of the attacks on the use of healthcare services. This is a secondary study on data from the country's health data warehouse and the ACLED security data warehouse. After a description, generalized additive models were used to assess the impact of attacks on the use of health services. Between January 2015 and December 2022, 2449 kidnap/disappearance attacks, armed attacks, bombings and landmine explosions were perpetrated, causing 4965 deaths. The Sahel region was the most targeted (36.37% of attacks and 50.57% of deaths). Only population density had a significant impact on the use of health services (p<5%). The models were valid. Our study has shown that, despite the persistent insecurity in Burkina Faso, people are resilient and, above all, continue to seek out the most important healthcare services. It is therefore important to work to maintain the supply of these services.

A Study on Factors Influencing Youth to Commit Suicide in Kashmir

Suicide is one of the burning issues worldwide as its rate is increasing continuously. This paper examines the status of suicide in the world and factors influencing youth of Kashmir to commit suicide. The study was carried out in Kashmir region in the year 2023 to trace the various socio-economic, political and cultural factors which are responsible for high suicide rates within the Kashmir valley. The results of present study revealed that social implications like unemployment, social isolation, family issues, failures in examination, relationship failures, increase in cultural change due to modernization are some of the notable contributors to the growing menace of suicide in Kashmir. Moreover, widespread socio-economic and cultural changes are highly stressful. This paper also aims to focus on the biological and neurological factors of people committing suicide. The study recognizes the hopelessness and helplessness associated with persistent insecurity, statelessness and poverty is triggering the mental wellbeing of the citizens of the valley and resulting in suicides. Finally, the researchers propose some preventive measures which would lessen depression, mental illnesses and frustration among the youth in Kashmir.

Navigating Complexities: African Union's Peace and Security Strategy Challenges after Niger and Gabon Coups

This study examines the intricate challenges that the African Union (AU) confronts in its pursuit of effective peace and security strategies following recent coup incidents in Niger and the ongoing situation in Gabon. The research analyzes the complex dynamics surrounding coup attempts, exploring their ramifications for regional stability, rising political intolerance, internally displaced populations, intricate government structures, enduring colonial legacies, and the emergence of global threats. Employing content analysis, the research draws from a diverse range of sources, including published and unpublished materials and references to news outlets. The study also compares coup scenarios in Niger and Gabon with similar instances globally to shed light on the multi-dimensional challenges that the AU faces. This research highlights historical factors, such as colonialism, that underpin coup occurrences and broader governance issues. It underscores the connection between persistent insecurity, hindered economic growth, exclusionary economic governance, and low development indicators, all contributing to an elevated risk of coup occurrences across Africa. The primary goal of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the AU's evolving peace and security landscape and to offer recommendations aimed at bolstering its strategies for achieving lasting peace and security.

Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining

While Stephen King’s The Shining (1997) features a hotel haunted by ghosts, the main female character Wendy Torrance is much more haunted by her fear of failing to fulfill her gender role within the structure of the traditional, white, American nuclear family. In this paper, I analyze how the fear of being an unsuccessful wife and mother illustrates structural problems within the nuclear family that are detrimental to women. Not only do they produce persistent insecurity and anxiety, but they also reinforce the delegation of power to a sole patriarchal authority figure. The Shining reveals how these issues become especially problematic in situations of abuse. However, it also presents an opportunity for women to escape from both abuse and the fear of role failure: completely abandoning the structure of the nuclear family. Thus, The Shining illuminates inherent flaws within the nuclear family’s roles and suggests that women cannot find autonomy, freedom, or happiness within its confines.

In the wake of a crisis: Caught between housing and healthcare

ObjectiveTo measure the association between housing insecurity and foregone medication due to cost among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ during the Recession. MethodsData came from Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ years from the 2006–2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Two-wave housing insecurity changes are evaluated as follows: (i) No insecurity, (ii) Persistent insecurity, (iii) Onset insecurity, and (iv) Onset security. We implemented a series of four weighted longitudinal General Estimating Equation (GEE) models, two minimally adjusted and two fully adjusted models, to estimate the probability of foregone medications due to cost between 2008 and 2012. ResultsOur study sample was restricted to non-proxy interviews of non-institutionalized Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ in the 2006 wave (n = 9936) and their follow up visits (n = 8753; in 2008; n = 7464 in 2010; and n = 6594 in 2012). Results from our fully adjusted model indicated that the odds of foregone medication was 64% higher among individuals experiencing Onset insecurity versus No insecurity in 2008, and also generally larger for individuals experiencing Onset Insecurity versus Persistent Insecurity. Odds of foregone medication was also larger among females, minority versus non-Hispanic white adults, those reporting a chronic condition, those with higher medical expenditures, and those living in the South versus Northeast. ConclusionThis study drew from nationally representative data to elucidate the disparate health and financial impacts of a crisis on Medicare beneficiaries who, despite health insurance coverage, displayed variability in foregone medication patterns. Our findings suggest that the onset of housing insecurity is most closely linked with unexpected acute economic shocks leading households with little time to adapt and forcing trade-offs in their prescription and other needs purchases. Both housing and healthcare policy implications exist from these findings including expansion of low-income housing units and rent relief post-recession as well as wider prescription drug coverage for Medicare adults.

O08 A Mixed Method Study of Whether Appalachian Ohioans Conceptualize Food Security in Alignment with the Prevailing Measure

<h3>Background</h3> In the US, food security is monitored annually via the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). The measure focuses primarily on a household's monetary means. There is heightened interest in developing food security measures that embody more nuanced conceptualizations of household food security. <h3>Objective</h3> To explore whether current conceptualizations of food insecurity among a rural Appalachian sample diverge from HFSSM constructs. <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> A study recruitment postcard was mailed to all residential addresses in the Athens County region of Appalachian Ohio in late June 2020. Adult recipients were first invited to complete quarterly surveys, containing a demographic questionnaire and the HFSSM, for one year. Based on HFSSM-based food security categorizations, a purposively selected sub-sample of respondents were invited for in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 16, May-June 2021). Our maximal variation sample included households demonstrating consistent food security (n = 7, 44%), transient insecurity (n = 5, 31%), and persistent insecurity (n = 4, 25%). Interviewees reflected on whether the HFSSM-based status aligned with how they would characterize their household's food security status. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> Verbatim transcripts were coded in NVivo and themes identified via template analysis, a process that leveraged both a priori codes (based on HFSSM constructs) and emergent codes reflecting measure-diverging constructs. <h3>Results</h3> While individuals characterized their food insecurity experiences in partial convergence with the HFSSM measure (e.g., noting insufficient money for food), there were several diverging themes. Food security was primarily discussed through a communal, and notably non-monetary, lens in which food reciprocity (e.g., bartering), collective responsibility (i.e., thinking beyond one's own household), and resourcefulness (e.g., gardening) defined their food (in)security experience. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This study demonstrates that food security may be conceptualized in ways that account for non-monetary assets and embody a communal ideology. The development and testing of a food security measure containing items in line with these constructs may be warranted for – and help to capture food insecurity more accurately in – rural regions where traditions of resourcefulness and reciprocity persist. <h3>Funding</h3> NIH; The Ohio State University's Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; The Ohio State University's Office of Outreach and Engagement; Clinical Research Center/Center for Clinical Research Management of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Resilienz und Konstruktion von Sicherheit

Abstract Prospero Balbo, the head of a leading Piedmontese noble family, followed a career path similar to that of the versatile French statesman Talleyrand. In the aftermath of 1789, Balbo served under four different regimes: the Old Regime monarchy, the Russian provisional administration of Piedmont in 1799, the Napoleonic empire, and the restored Savoy monarchy. After the short-lived revolutionary movement of 1821 in Sardinia-Piedmont, Prospero lost his job as interior minister and his son, Cesare, was forced into exile. The revolutionary waves of 1820–1821 were the most recent of numerous disruptive events and regime changes that jeopardized Europe and the Atlantic world between the late 1770 s and the early 1820 s. These five decades of revolutionary upheavals, wars, and persistent insecurity forced the traditional elites to mobilize their material, cultural, and social resources to preserve their prestige and power. Based on extensive archival research, this article examines the resilience-strengthening resources and strategies implemented by members of the Balbo family during periods of political turmoil. In doing so, the article aims to develop an analytical and conceptual framework to describe historical processes in terms of resilience and vulnerability. This new approach enables us to look afresh at elite transformations and at the dynamics of political change and continuity in early nineteenth-century Europe.

Water Security as an Emergent Opportunity in Canada

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; On August 15th 2019, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies hosted its monthly roundtable focusing on “Water Security as an Emergent Opportunity for Canada”. The presentation was delivered by Dr. Zafar Adeel, a serving member on the editorial boards of Sustainability Science (Springer) and New Water Policy and Practice Journal (PSO). Dr. Adeel highlighted various emerging and continuing water security threats in British Columbia, emphasizing their similarities to other global issues. He directed his talk to addressing the impacts of climate change on water insecurity and its ability to create new threats to Canada’s coastal cities. The following roundtable discussion centered around a dialogue on the persistent insecurity in Canada’s indigenous communities as a security concern describing the matter as a play off between policy and security affairs. Audience members then brought into question the suitability of using the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine to intervene where a nation’s water security is at risk and addressed the complexities of the ‘react’ pillar in intervening militarily.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Strangers in Strained Lands: Learning From Workplace Experiences of Immigrant Employees

Immigrants have become an important source of talent as well as a flash point for conflict in many countries. Alongside established streams of research on immigrants in other disciplines, we hope to galvanize interest among management scholars, particularly about immigrant employees. We begin by observing the identity and status changes undergone by immigrants relative to their standing in their origin country and the persistent insecurity they feel as they work and live in their destination country. We then expound on other microlevel research topics and literatures that are especially relevant to the experiences and contributions of immigrant employees: creativity and voice, diversity, coworker and supervisor support and antagonism, and social network structures. These ideas are presented to help generate broader and more active research agendas among management scholars that include such immigrant employee experiences and contributions and to promote partnerships with organizations to test interventions for integrating immigrants more fully into the workplace.

A Longitudinal Examination of Housing Hardships Among Urban Fathers.

Stable housing is widely recognized as a prerequisite for the functioning of individuals and families. However, the housing stability of fathers is under-studied, particularly for fathers living apart from their children. This analysis measures the extent and nature of fathers' housing insecurity using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national longitudinal survey of urban families. Housing insecurity affects a substantial portion of fathers, with 25 percent experiencing insecurity at least once in their child's first nine years. However, few fathers report persistent insecurity that spans consecutive waves. Data also indicate significant differences in rates of housing insecurity between fathers living with, and apart from, the mothers of their children, with nonresident fathers far less likely to report secure housing and more likely to experience incarceration. The nature of insecurity experienced by nonresident fathers is also qualitatively different than that experienced by their coresident counterparts.

Adaptive Return of e-Training (ROT) based on Communication Technology

Persistent economic insecurity and harsh severity actions across the world push businesses either to cut down on training costs or to be very painstaking in choosing a training program that conveys palpable outcomes in a short period of time. Nevertheless, in most cases businesses are still unable to reckon Return of e-Training (ROT) in advance for better allocation of training budget and decision on a proper training plan in line with the business policy. The purpose of this paper is to appraise the practical worth of the applicability and usability of the Adaptive ROT in the enterprises with a particular regard to evaluating the impact of e-training in companies. A case study of gauging the profit of e-training in the Blackboard systems has been conducted. The outcome of this study is judged to be positive, given the efficacy of the Adaptive ROT Evaluation Model for e-training in companies.

Economic insecurity during the Great Recession and metabolic, inflammatory and liver function biomarkers: analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Economic insecurity correlates with adverse health outcomes, but the biological pathways involved are not well understood. We examine how changes in economic insecurity relate to metabolic, inflammatory and liver function biomarkers. Blood analyte data were taken from 6520 individuals (aged 25-59 years) participating in Understanding Society. Economic insecurity was measured using an indicator of subjective financial strain and by asking participants whether they had missed any bill, council tax, rent or mortgage payments in the past year. We investigated longitudinal changes in economic insecurity (remained secure, increase in economic insecurity, decrease in economic insecurity, remained insecure) and the accumulation of economic insecurity. Linear regression models were calculated for nine (logged) biomarker outcomes related to metabolic, inflammatory, liver and kidney function (as falsification tests), adjusting for potential confounders. Compared with those who remained economically stable, people who experienced consistent economic insecurity (using both measures) had worsened levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, C reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen and glycated haemoglobin. Increased economic insecurity was associated with adverse levels of HDL-cholesterol (0.955, 95% CI 0.929 to 0.982), triglycerides (1.077, 95% CI 1.018 to 1.139) and CRP (1.114, 95% CI 1.012 to 1.227), using the measure of financial strain. Results for the other measure were generally consistent, apart from the higher levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase observed among those experiencing persistent insecurity (1.200, 95% CI 1.110 to 1.297). Economic insecurity is associated with adverse metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers (particularly HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and CRP), heightening risk for a range of health conditions.

Human Rights versus National Security: The Refugee Quagmire in Kenya

Refugees existed as early as the times when religion is said to have begun. There are various books in the Bible for instance where refugees were said to be people who were homeless and needed special attention from the society. During the first and second world wars, millions of people were displaced in Europe and this led to creation of laws that would ensure the safety and protection of refugees. Later on as African states developed, they started experiencing challenges similar to the ones were being experienced in Europe and as a result the laws were revised to incorporate legal protection of the refugees in Africa. Kenya has hosted thousands of refugees from neighboring countries like South Sudan, Somalia and Uganda during the dictatorial rule of ldi Amin. However, the Dadaab refugee camps, established in 1991 to host Somali refugees fleeing clashes and subsequent civil wars after the ousting of Said Barre in January 1991, have posed more security concerns to Kenya. The persistent insecurity in Dadaab refugee camps has put pressure on the Kenyan government on the need to comply with its international human rights obligations by continually hosting refugees. It has emerged that these refugee camps have become a breeding ground of Al-Shabaab activities. It is undisputed that human rights will always come first in all circumstances irrespective of whether one is a citizen or a refugee. But with national security on the other hand, how far can the state protect refugee rights? To what extent are host governments supposed to secure the rights of refugees when the security of its citizens is at stake? And finally, what is the scope of the refugee rights? How Kenya will strike a ‘happy medium’ by ensuring that it complies with its international human rights obligations by protecting the refugees whilst ensuring that there is no compromise on security? This study seeks to analyse the threat posed by refugees to security, the extent to which the state should protect refugees’ human rights and ensure that the security of its nationals is not compromised. The study finally attempts to suggest viable options that may mitigate the problem.

Detecting dwelling destruction in Darfur through object-based change analysis of very high-resolution imagery

ABSTRACTTimely and detailed information on the situation in conflict areas is essential to monitor the impact of conflicts on civilians and to document human rights issues, such as large scale displacement. Remote sensing provides valuable means for conflict monitoring, especially in areas where the ground-based documentation of violence is hampered, e.g. by the limited access to or persistent insecurity of conflict zones. The manual analysis of remote-sensing data is time consuming and labour intensive, but automatic methods can increase the efficiency of corresponding workflows, if the required user interference is minimized. In this study, the use of object-based change analysis for the automatic and selective detection of destructed dwellings in bi-temporal images is explored in test areas in Darfur. The presented approach automatically determines areas of interest (settlements), and detects changes in those areas by analysis of two change features (change of edge intensity and spectral change). It applies automatically defined local reference values and thresholds of these change features to reduce the required user interference. In addition, the extended feature space in the object-based approach (including, e.g. shape, size, and relational features in addition to spectral properties) is used to distinguish destructed dwellings from other, similarly changed objects. The developed method was applied to two study areas using images from three different sensors (GeoEye-1, WorldView-2, and QuickBird) without adaptation of the thresholds or rule sets. This resulted in a producer’s accuracy of 75.4% in the first and 81.2% in the second study area. The achieved user’s accuracy was 73.3% in study area 1 and 77.2% in study area 2. The evaluation of the results shows that the automatic calculation of local reference values and thresholds for the change detection can increase robustness when the proposed method is applied on study areas with different image properties. It also demonstrates the advantages as well as the specific constraints of using object- and context-specific features in this use case for the extraction of a certain structure type on a high level of detail.

Perceived Job Insecurity and Health: Do Duration and Timing Matter?

I examine whether the health penalties of perceived job insecurity are influenced by the duration of the experience and the age at which it is encountered. Analyses of a national panel data set of Americans (N = 1,065) reveal a decrease in health among workers reporting persistent exposure to the threat of job loss; however, these health penalties are experienced unevenly across age groups, with young workers (18–34) reporting the fewest health penalties in response to persistent insecurity. In contrast, while insecure middle-aged and older workers report similar levels of psychological distress and self-rated health, the former are more adversely affected with respect to their emotional well-being. I discuss potential cohort and life stage interpretations for these age patterns in the stress of insecure work.

Justice and Security as Prerequisites for Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta Region.

Over the last few years, the Niger Delta region has witnessed a climate of persistent insecurity. The high rate of unemployment among the youths, and poverty has helped to drive and sustain high levels of violence and criminality throughout the region. This has adversely affected sustainable development. This paper looks at the relationship between justice, security and sustainable development in the Niger Delta, and concludes that without justice and security, the prospects for sustainable development remain a mirage. The paper further argues that sustainable development and security in the Niger Delta region will depend on the right government policy and the willingness of the citizens to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies in preventing crime. It recommends that development, skills acquisition and constructive engagement should be the choice weapons for addressing the problem of justice and security in the Niger Delta.

Peace-building and the predatory political economy of insecurity: evidence from Cambodia, East Timor and Afghanistan

International peace-building interventions in post-conflict countries are intended to transform the socio-political context that led to violence and thereby build a stable and lasting peace. Yet the UN's transitional governance approach to peace-building is ill-suited to the challenge of dealing with the predatory political economy of insecurity that often emerges in post-conflict societies. Evidence from peace-building attempts in Cambodia, East Timor and Afghanistan illustrates that the political economy incentives facing domestic elites in an environment of low credibility and weak institutionalisation lead to a cycle of patronage generation and distribution that undermine legitimate and effective governance. As a result, post-conflict countries are left vulnerable to renewed conflict and persistent insecurity. International interventions can only craft lasting peace by understanding the political economy of conflict persistence and the potential policy levers for altering, rather than perpetuating, those dynamics.

N008 Relationship between types of social support, coping strategies, and psychological distress in individuals living with congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects 350,000 Canadians and over 1 million Americans today. Despite the increased life expectancy from advancing medical and surgical management, many survivors are confronted with various medical complications (i.e., arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension) and psychosocial issues arising from various limitations (e.g., decreased physical capacity) related to the disease. Survivors often report they feel like they are “being controlled by the disease” and experience feelings of persistent insecurity, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

The Geopolitics of Merger and Acquisition in the Central European Energy Market

In September 2007 the Austrian oil and gas company, OMV, issued a declaration of intent to merge with its Hungarian competitor, MOL. The merger was regarded by MOL as a hostile takeover bid and it initiated a series of measures designed to defend its independence and position within the Central European energy market. These measures, while intended to shore up MOL's defences in the face of an increased threat of merger and acquisition from larger companies aided by the demands of the EU to liberalise the energy market, reflect the rising instance of economic nationalism within the EU and have specific implications for the promotion of solidarity at an EU level. At the same time they also reflect the increased securitisation of energy. This is important when you consider that the actions of multiple players in the battle for MOL, including Russia through involvement of Surgutneftegaz following its purchase of a series of MOL shares in March 2009, has effectively created an energy security dilemma, whereby the actions of one actor to increase its own security leads to retaliatory actions by a second actor threatened by the actions of the first. Within the Central European energy market this is happening on multiple levels and impacts the relations between EU member states, the EU and Russia. The article uses the MOL case to highlight how the geopolitics of merger and acquisition in the Central European energy market means it effectively operates in a state of persistent insecurity.