Security Initiatives Research Articles

“Sweat is invisible in the rain”: Civilian Joint Task Force and counter-insurgency in Borno State, Nigeria

Political, ethnic and religious conflict has given rise to insurgency groups employing a variety of strategies worldwide. In Nigeria, civilians in strife-torn Borno State have formed a number of counter-insurgency (COIN) groups, among which the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) has emerged as a major player. The group began in 2009 as a simple call for volunteers, and now numbers over 26 000 men and women. While research has been conducted on other COIN groups, little is known of CJTF. Concerns have been raised about the CJTF metamorphosing into an ethnic militia, accused of human rights abuses, robbery, rape and hooliganism. Despite these reported atrocities, local people support them, regarding them as unsung heroes. The study investigates the group’s potential as a useful counter insurgency measure, using David Galula’s COIN theory to analyse the group’s actions and to contest the dualistic understanding of conventional vs unconventional, local peacebuilding approaches. The study adopts a qualitative, ethnographic methodology, locating the research in the context of global development and security discourse. The study aims to establish the value of the CJTF COIN group, to position unconventional local COIN as a viable complementary to conventional methods and to proffer clues as to how security initiatives may more successfully combat Islamic insurgency in Nigeria. The study employed both primary and secondary data. Field work for the study was carried out for six months between 2018 and 2019 in Maiduguri Metropolis and its environs in Borno State.

The Role of the Republic of Belarus in Ensuring Regional Security. The Aspect of Minsk Agreements

The article deals with the activities of the Republic of Belarus undertaken for the sake of regional security. The analysed aspect are the Minsk Agreements which have been worked out thanks to the country’s significant organizational and diplomatic efforts. The paper discusses the Belarusian security perspective of both the Central and Eastern European region and the Republic itself. Belarus’s neutral attitude towards the armed conflict in Ukraine is presented in the article as well as the issues related to the organization of the peace process as a result of which the Minsk Agreements were adopted. Attention is also paid to the evolution of Belarus’ foreign policy in which, during the last few years, a significant activity in the field of regional security initiatives has been visible, thus creating the country’s image of a mediator. Belarus can play an important role in this aspect, which can be demonstrated by the example of its commitment to the peace process that eventually led to the signing of the Minsk Agreements.

Land consolidation activities in Sub-Saharan Africa towards the agenda 2030: A tale of three countries

Land consolidation activities have generally failed in the Sub-Saharan African region for various reasons. However, there has been a new wave of land consolidation activities in the past two decades. This study examines how contemporary land consolidation activities in Sub-Saharan Africa contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, specifically ending poverty, ending hunger, and developing sustainable cities and settlements through land tenure security, food security, and rural development initiatives at country level. Using cases from Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Ghana, the study draws lessons on how land consolidation activities can contribute to the 2030 agenda. In Rwanda, it is found that though land use consolidation is a locally developed strategy for food security, due to its focus on the national level, household food security is actually lowering. Perceptions of land tenure security are also lower, despite an increase in legal tenure security. In Ghana, it is seen that the technical processes of land consolidation, though they hold the potential to increase food security, they will not fit with the existing land tenure system. Finally, in Ethiopia, it is seen that a bottom-up land consolidation is flexible and sensitive to local needs, however, scaling is difficult without the strong governmental involvement. Overall, land consolidation in SSA could deliver significantly to those SDGs relating to food security, poverty reduction, and landscape management. However, realistically, to achieve measurable country-wide or regional impact by 2030, immediate and strong governmental support tied to collaboration with community leadership is essential.

Tropical Livestock Units: Re-evaluating a Methodology.

The dynamic between humans, livestock, and wildlife is evolving owing to growth in populations, a finite global landmass, and shifting climatic conditions. This change comes with certain benefits in terms of food security, nutrition, and livelihoods as livestock populations increase, but is not without risk. The role of livestock in infectious disease emergence, environmental degradation, and the development of antimicrobial resistance is becoming more apparent. An understanding of these risks and development of mitigation tactics, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the pace of change is most rapid, is increasingly based on comprehensive models and tools built to map livestock populations at the global, regional or national level. Translation of model estimates into evidence is often underpinned by a quantification of livestock biomass to support policy development and implementation. This paper discusses the application of the Tropical Livestock Unit in the context of measuring biomass. It examines the established method of calculation, designating all cattle a standard weight of 175 kg, and compares it to two proposed alternatives. In doing so, the potential to refine estimates of biomass in low and middle-income countries is explored, though this concept could be extrapolated to higher income economies as well. Publicly available data from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa was utilized to demonstrate how breed liveweight, herd structures, and growth rates have the potential to dramatically alter the estimates of cattle biomass in each country. Establishing standardized data collection procedures to capture this information on a regular basis would grant a better understanding of the true nature of livestock populations, aid in the development of superior disease prevention and response measures, bolster food security initiatives through improving livestock production, and inform the intelligent management of shared ecosystems to improve conservation and biodiversity.

Xi's New Security Concept and the Neighborhood Policy in the Framework of Silk Road Economic Belt

The research paper aims to investigate the role of the Chinese president in developing security concepts in developing the economic Belt and Silk Road. With time, it has been observed that people of different nations started criticizing this road's development by criticizing its security policies. Therefore, this research paper tried to check the goals, scope, aims, objectives, and motivation behind China's development of this Belt and the security initiative in both local and international contexts. For this purpose, this study made use of a critical literature review approach and made use of 17 research articles from the Google Scholar website from 2015-2019. The results obtained show that the motivation behind the Silk Road's development is to increase goods transportation and economic contributions between the nations. Also, most scholars supported the statement that national security measures taken by the government of China have now resulted in the development of satisfactory comments by other nations. In the last five years, the security measures by NSC have allowed the management of different countries to increase their trust in the development of this Silk Road. The chances are high that this Belt will evolve quickly in upcoming times. Keywords: Silk Road, security concept, Belt and road, neighbourhood DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-11-10 Publication date: November 30 th 2020

A Multi-Level Analysis of the Implementation of Industrial Internet of Things: Challenges and Future Prospects

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is still a new research area. The main emphasis of the IIoT literature is on identifying the challenges involved in implementation of the IIoT. This paper summarizes the literature on the barriers faced by any stakeholder aiming to adopt IIoT anywhere. After reviewing 31 empirical studies, three domains of factors have been identified, individual (skills, abilities and knowledge), institutional (organizational/management-related), and structural (technical and economic infrastructures). A total of eleven factors across the three dimensions have been extracted. The most important factors were the absence of human capital (limited individual soft and technical knowledge, skills and abilities), low information security experience leading to a high probability data leaks and high management resistance from employees and leaders. To strengthen information for successful IIoT implementation, this paper proposes the mandate of Security, Education, Training, and Awareness (SETA) initiatives for any stakeholder interested in IIoT adoption. A Causal loop diagram for the IIoT implementation is also developed and discussed in this work.

Intermodal maritime supply chains: assessing factors for resiliency and security

Much of the value exchanged in international trade is transported as containerized freight. While this transport mode has become ubiquitous for manufactured goods, offering a fast and efficient service, it does pose security threats in the post-9/11 era. Even though containerization offers security from pilferage, it provides a means for obscuring contraband as well as opportunities to tamper with goods in shipment. Although the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-PAT) are high profile initiatives seeking to improve the security of global supply chains, vulnerability still remains from the port of origin and on the high seas to the port of discharge. This research is based on interviews from a wide range of supply chain participants that includes regulatory agencies, transportation providers, importers, exporters, and trade intermediaries. These provide the basis for a decomposition of the global maritime supply chain into those elements up to that point when goods are cleared by U.S. Customs. Analysis of the informational and physical flows suggests that the greatest vulnerabilities lie in those transportation segments between the origin of the goods and that point when they await shipment at a foreign port.

Challenges for Security and Defence Cooperation in Central Europe: Will the EU be able to manage the crisis in the EU periphery?

Europe has undergone various security changes in the past and needs to prepare itself for managing the present and future security challenges appearing on the horizon. Within Central Europe, we can see a significant change in its security orientation and a gradual development by continuous involvement in security initiatives such as the current EU-led PESCO. This article aims to show the present Visegrad Group (V4) interest in maintaining an autonomous European security, as well as to analyse the current possibilities and security capabilities of Central European countries. The V4 countries are an important part of NATO and the European Union, even though they are small to medium-sized countries with limited security capabilities. Participation in the creation of collective security under NATO has a stable, several-year position in the countries, but the European Union is on the rise in its security agenda, and that is assumed by the V4 countries with its participation in EU initiatives such as PESCO and the integrated involvement of the V4 in ongoing military projects.

Cooperation under autonomy: Building and analyzing the Informal Intergovernmental Organizations 2.0 dataset

Informal intergovernmental organizations (IIGOs) such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and G20 increasingly play a central role in governing international relations. IIGOs are based on recurrent meetings among high-level state representatives but are not legalized through a treaty and have no permanent secretariat. They allow states to organize internationally without sacrificing autonomy to a supranational entity. We present the IIGO 2.0 dataset, the most comprehensive compilation of these institutions to date, and illustrate the significance of IIGOs through several key empirical findings. First, while the creation of formal IGOs (FIGOs) has plateaued, states are increasingly creating IIGOs to address critical global issues. Second, states disproportionately use IIGOs for high politics issue areas including peace, security, and political agenda-setting which challenges conventional wisdom that IGOs (intergovernmental organizations) are less relevant in the security realm. Third, IIGOs are remarkably durable. Although states could readily formalize or abandon IIGOs, they generally organize cooperation informally for long periods. Finally, IIGOs are typically smaller than FIGOs and this design choice is increasingly used by states of all levels of development, power, and region. The availability of the IIGO 2.0 dataset will promote further analysis on the growing diversity of international institutions.

Who Is the Citizen in Citizen Security?

This article explores the governing logics and political implications of citizen security in Puebla, Mexico, specifically, the Programa Nacional de Prevención del Delito (National Program for the Prevention of Crime, PRONAPRED). Taking a biopolitical perspective, the article centers on how citizens are produced through the application of citizen security initiatives. This production operates at two levels: the regulation of populations and the molding of subjects. First, vital statistics and risk-related variables highlight those populations that exceed the median for risk. Second, those at-risk groups are targeted for training to reduce their susceptibility to violence. Training focuses on the individual, asking citizens to identify and minimize risk in a manner that emanates from and contributes to security governance. The political ontology of citizen security is this citizen/citizenry coincident with official measures. The democratic aspirations of citizen security are consequently muted, as security governance locates citizens within the confines of state power and, at the same time, holds them separate from this power to produce citizen existence.

Modeling multi-target defender-attacker games with quantal response attack strategies

Due to the growing interest in incorporating behavioral models within the defender-attacker game literature, the perfect rationality assumption of adversaries has been relaxed in many recent works. This paper studies four multi-target defensive resource allocation in defender-attacker games by using a quantal response model, in which the attacker might be bounded rational. We compare the results from the proposed models with the traditional game theoretic model where the attacker behaves rationally. Moreover, we studied the impacts of the attacker’s rationality level on the defender’s optimal defense strategies. Real data from the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) are employed to estimate the rationality parameter as well as numerically illustrate the model. The results show that: (a) in the quantal response model, the defender’s expected loss at equilibrium increases with the attacker’s rationality parameter and the expected loss approach the results from the game theoretic model; (b) when the attacker’s rationality parameter in the quantal response model approaches infinity, both the equilibrium defensive allocation and expected loss approach to the results from the game theoretic model; (c) when the attacker uses quantal response while the defender falsely believes that the attacker uses game theoretic response, the expected loss will be similar to the model where both players utilize game theoretic response, but higher than the expected loss from the model where both players use quantal response; (d) when the attacker uses game theoretic response while the defender falsely believes that the attacker uses quantal response, the expected equilibrium loss will be higher than the ones from the other three scenarios; and (e) the quantal response model gives a closer resource allocation to the real allocation than the game theoretic model does. This paper provides some novel insights to defensive resource allocation when considering that the attacker is bounded rationality.

Crop Yield Prediction through Proximal Sensing and Machine Learning Algorithms

Proximal sensing techniques can potentially survey soil and crop variables responsible for variations in crop yield. The full potential of these precision agriculture technologies may be exploited in combination with innovative methods of data processing such as machine learning (ML) algorithms for the extraction of useful information responsible for controlling crop yield. Four ML algorithms, namely linear regression (LR), elastic net (EN), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), and support vector regression (SVR), were used to predict potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber yield from data of soil and crop properties collected through proximal sensing. Six fields in Atlantic Canada including three fields in Prince Edward Island (PE) and three fields in New Brunswick (NB) were sampled, over two (2017 and 2018) growing seasons, for soil electrical conductivity, soil moisture content, soil slope, normalized-difference vegetative index (NDVI), and soil chemistry. Data were collected from 39–40 30 × 30 m2 locations in each field, four times throughout the growing season, and yield samples were collected manually at the end of the growing season. Four datasets, namely PE-2017, PE-2018, NB-2017, and NB-2018, were then formed by combing data points from three fields to represent the province data for the respective years. Modeling techniques were employed to generate yield predictions assessed with different statistical parameters. The SVR models outperformed all other models for NB-2017, NB-2018, PE-2017, and PE-2018 dataset with RMSE of 5.97, 4.62, 6.60, and 6.17 t/ha, respectively. The performance of k-NN remained poor in three out of four datasets, namely NB-2017, NB-2018, and PE-2017 with RMSE of 6.93, 5.23, and 6.91 t/ha, respectively. The study also showed that large datasets are required to generate useful results using either model. This information is needed for creating site-specific management zones for potatoes, which form a significant component for food security initiatives across the globe.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum sp.) genetic resources: What can they contribute towards nutritional security of changing world?

The global population depends on fairly a small number of crops including wheat, rice and maize for food and nutrition, leaving a wealth of genetic resources neglected. Owing to ever increasing demands of the growing world, food production must be increased but research evidences suggests that climate change has adversely affected crop yields, thereby impacting whole agriculture. Exploring the potential reservoir of underutilized crops would provide a highly diversified agricultural production system in sustaining food and nutritional security under climate change. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum sp.) is one such crop representing a broad gene pool harboring diverse genetic resources for future agriculture due to their suitability to marginalized environments. Research advancements suggest that buckwheat has immense potential of commercialization due to presence of essential nutrients and therapeutics. With a balance of bioactive components and nutraceuticals, it has the ability to withstand various environmental stresses to make it a suitable candidate crop for future nutritional security initiatives. Despite such potential, efforts pertaining to genetic improvement, including breeding and molecular techniques are not exemplary. In this review, we present a comprehensive coverage of buckwheat germplasm research done till date along with a tangible perspective of integrating breeding and omics-driven approaches to accelerate higher genetic gains. The implementation of this strategy could enhance the nutritional benefits and adaptation to changing climates for future needs.

Japanese naval activities in Southeast Asian waters: building on 50 years of maritime security capacity building

ABSTRACT Japan has included improvement of Southeast Asian maritime security as an aim of its foreign policy for the last fifty years. This article analyzes the evolution of Japan’s maritime security initiatives in Southeast Asia by documenting major events and offering new insights into the most important inflection points associated with that history. Unlike previous accounts that portray this history as a matter of gradual change, it demonstrates that Japan’s initiatives passed through three distinct phases (1969–1998, 1999–2009, and 2010-present) with the shifts between each being marked by quick expansions of the Japanese agencies and partner organizations involved. This history provides critical context for understanding Japan’s apparent transition into a fourth phase in which Japanese cooperative activities will begin working to strengthen Southeast Asian military capacities.

New wine in old wine skin : an assessment of African Union’s peace and security initiatives

New wine in old wine skin : an assessment of African Union’s peace and security initiatives

Urban agriculture in the making or gardening as epistemology

ABSTRACT This paper explores the production of Prairie Urban Farm, an urban agricultural initiative in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta. Motivated by our involvement in the initiative and guided by a broader interest in the evolving meaning and politics of urban agriculture, the paper presents Prairie Urban Farm as a negotiated and emergent social space. Rather than limit understandings of the initiative to official representations and discourses, the analysis draws on interviews with regular volunteers as well as personal reflections to emphasise everyday urban agriculture – those practices, understandings, and motivations often subsumed under official framings or tropes that together characterise the everyday, lived aspects of urban agriculture. The paper pursues tensions between Prairie Urban Farm understood as a sustainability and food security initiative and more ambivalent understandings. We ask, is Prairie Urban Farm, officially presented as an urban agriculture and food security project, not simply a community garden by another name? Obscuring these boundaries through a detailed ethnographic and qualitative analysis, we make an argument for finding value in urban agriculture beyond discursive tropes and in relation to the reflexive possibilities engendered within a view of gardening as epistemology.

Learning from and with community-based and participatory action research: Constraints and adaptations in a youth-peacebuilding initiative in Haiti

Participatory action research fits well with conflict resolution and peacebuilding; it is used by scholar-practitioners as part of field-based practice efforts that contribute to transforming conflict and add to scholarly knowledge. However, as Cynthia Chataway’s analysis of a participatory action research project undertaken with the Mohawk community of Kahnawake indicated, there are considerable constraints on mutual inquiry when it occurs in settings marked by historical oppression, distrust of outsiders and internal division; these constraints require the model to respond to the community context. Drawing on this insight, this paper explores a recent collaborative, community-based research that was part of a larger youth-centered peacebuilding and security initiative in Haiti. The initiative involved partners from Canada supporting a non-governmental organization and youth in four communities to engage in action research, under the umbrella of community-based research, as part of the 26-month project. The article draws out insights on ways in which the community-based research approach adapted to the conflict context, and reflects on the ways in which this form of engaged scholarship adds to knowledge in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

‘With or Without You’: The Governance of (Local) Security and the Koglweogo Movement in Burkina Faso

In late 2014 and after more than two decades of a ‘semi-authoritarian’ regime, a popular insurrection in Burkina Faso led to the fall of Blaise Compaore, president and leader of the ruling party. Due to — or parallel to — the political transition, factors of insecurity developed or were amplified, leading to a reconfiguration of the provision of security at two levels. At the central state level began a reflection around the governance model of security and the improvement of the practices of state security forces. At the local level, non-state security initiatives have multiplied. Drawing on insights from the study of local security provision and providers in the town of Tenkodogo, located in the Boulgou province (Centre-East region), and on its wider integration into the national framework and response to insecurity in Burkina Faso, this article raises and investigates three major questions. First, how is the governance of security (co)produced by (state and non-state) actors in a specific local configuration in Burkina Faso? Second, in what ways does this local experience compare with the state’s response to insecurity and with the nationwide expansion of the Koglweogo movement? Finally, what new perspectives can such reflection at the local and national levels offer to overcome the limits of current approaches regarding local security?

Challenges of Countering Terrorist Recruitment in the Lake Chad Region: The Case of Boko Haram

This article attempts to shed light on the challenges confronting relevant actors (state and non-state) in countering the threat of terrorism recruitment by focusing on the Boko Haram terrorist organization, whose presence and activities threaten the security of the Lake Chad region. The article uses a qualitative research technique combining key informant interviews with stakeholders familiar with the conflict, academic and non-academic documents, reports, and policy briefs. The findings of the article suggest that despite the various initiatives by stakeholders aimed at containing the strategies of recruitment, the group continues to expand its base by launching coordinated attacks that further destabilize the region. These challenges stem from a lack of a clear-cut counterterrorism strategy, a dearth in technological and mutual trust between actors and locals in the management and utilization of intelligence, and the inability of state institutions to ‘coerce and convince’ citizens in terms of its capacity to counter the danger of terrorism recruitment and expansion. The article, amongst other things, recommends a community policing model similar to the ‘Nyumba-Kumi security initiative’ adopted by most countries in East Africa for the effective assessment and detection of threat forces; the state and its agencies should show the capacity to coerce and convince in dealing with the (ideological, religious, social, and economic) conditions, drivers, and factors promoting the spread of terrorism as well as other forms of violent extremism in the society; furthermore, there is a need for stakeholders to adopt a comprehensive and holistic counterterrorism/violent extremism strategy to reflect present-day security challenges as well as to guarantee sustainable peace.

IMPLEMENTASI PROGRAM COOPERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE SEBAGAI UPAYA AS DAN NIGERIA DALAM MENEKAN DISTRIBUSI NARKOBA NIGERIA MENUJU AS TAHUN 2009-2013

The study aims to illustrate the cooperation undertaken by the Governments of the United States and Nigeria in the war against drugs through a non-military solution that focuses on non-military efforts. Non-military efforts have been taken by the U.S. by coordinating together until the establishment of a program applied in accordance with some scope of cooperation applied in non-military efforts applied in the case of drug trafficking in Nigeria is the establishment of the Cooperation Security Initiative program which formed and implemented several programs in the form of Fund assistance and technical assistance, Narcotics and Controlled Substances Strategy (NCS), Nigerian Epidemiological Network on Drug Use (NENDU), Police Initiative and AIRCOP, Maritime and Airport Security Assistance, joint Security coordination through Detection, Monitoring and Interdiction Operations, License Plate Rider and law enforcement training. The Program started to apply the U.S. and Nigeria in 2009- 2013. The Cooperation security Initiative Program ended in 2013 due to a decrease in drug smuggling from Nigeria to the US and agreed to an extradition treaty in the Drug Trafficking Act of 2013. Keywords: Transnational Crime, Drug Trafficking, Bilateral Cooperation, Cooperation Security Initiative DOI : https://doi.org/10.33005/jgp.v7i01.1815