Source Of Fear Research Articles

Comparative Evaluation of Various Topical Anaesthetic Agents in Terms of Their Efficacy and Efficiency in Dentistry – AnIn VivoStudy

Pain control is an integral part of modern dentistry. In paediatric dentistry, it forms an important part of child behaviour guidance and helps in positive acceptance of dentistry by the child patient. Needle injection of local anaesthetic is the commonest modality of pain control used today. However, it is a source of fear and anxiety in children. Hence, it is important to resort to a pain free method of administering local anaesthesia. Topical anaesthetics are a boon in this attempt. Hence, this study was designed to compare the efficiency of various topical anaesthetic agents in terms of onset and duration of anaesthesia and also to evaluate the efficacy of various topical anaesthetic agents in terms of pain response. A total of 90 operating sites were chosen from 30 subjects. A total of 15 subjects were selected in Stage 1, where onset and duration of action of the agents were evaluated, and in Stage 2, 75 operating sites were selected from another 15 subjects, where we measured the efficacy of each topical anaesthetic agent in terms of pain responses associated with intraoral injection using Faces Pain and Sound-Eye-Motor Scales. Flavoured benzocaine exhibited the fastest onset of action, followed by benzocaine, lignocaine and EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics). The duration of action was maximum for EMLA, followed by lignocaine, flavoured benzocaine and benzocaine. The mean scores of pain responses were less with EMLA compared with benzocaine, flavoured benzocaine and lignocaine. EMLA proved to be superior in pain reduction than other topical anaesthetics agents.

The Relocation of Monstrosity: An Analysis of Horror in Brian De Palma’s Carrie

The presence and expression of monstrosity, violence, and terror confirm Carrie’s status as a horror film. It is traditional in its use of visual cues such as darkness, blood and abnormality as sources of fear. In this sense, it obeys the conventions of its genre and embraces its iconography. However, the initially normative and ultimately transformative examination of monstrosity solidifies its position as an atypical horror film. The protagonist’s normalized environment is revealed to be a sinister setting, to the extent that its monstrosity becomes contagious. Carrie’s alterity is not inherently terrifying; she is pushed to terrifying measures by the social body that victimizes her.

ДЕНТОФОБИЯ: ПОЧЕМУ ДЕТИ БОЯТСЯ СТОМАТОЛОГА?

<p>In modern society almost the third of total population is afraid of visiting dentist. We will focus on children’s dentophobia in the article. Child experiences different fears at various stages of development. The main cause of dentophobia is an unwilling to experience pain. Themost «simple» way to pull through fears and phobias, chosen by child is a desire to avoid the source of fear. The data of visiting of children to the pediatric department of Dental Clinics are processed and analyzed in the article, the main causes of fear occurrence and the ways of its overcome are presented. The role of parents before the children’s first visit to dentist is searchlighted.</p>

Elephants, Tigers and Safety in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka

Civilian suffering from civil war extends well after the ceasefire. Reliable ways to measure perceived safety are needed in post-conflict settings, since the extent to which safety improves may be crucial in maintaining the peace. Yet obtaining truthful reports from respondents in these settings is unlikely. Individuals traumatised by conflict may be reticent to reveal opinions that could expose them to sanction from either the authorities or their peers. List experiments, where respondents are given a list of statements and, without revealing particular answers, count how many listed items are true, can yield sensitive information. This paper uses list experiments to study perceived safety among civilians in areas where fighting was most intense during the recently-concluded 25-year civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government of Sri Lanka. The results show substantial differences in reported safety, depending on whether they were elicited through direct questions or indirectly through the list experiment. Biased answers to direct questions about safety could alter conclusions about which ethnic and gender groups are most fearful. Qualitative interviews reveal some unexpected sources of fear.

Computational Techniques for Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research

The unpredictable nature of infectious diseases has been a source of fear and superstition since early times. The purpose of introducing mathematics in the field of infectious diseases is to understand the dynamics of infections and for analysis [1]. The first mathematical model of an infectious disease was proposed by Daniel Bernoulli, a Swiss Mathematician and Physicist. In 1760, Daniel Bernoulli developed a differential equation model to quantitatively analyze how cowpox inoculation affects the spread of smallpox. Further, Bernoulli used the model to assess the practical advantages of a vaccination program [2, 3]. Over the years, the use of mathematical and computational models for understanding the dynamics of the infection, for analyzing the spread of diseases and for establishing the effectiveness of vaccines, has greatly revolutionized the study of infectious diseases and epidemic outbreaks [4]. The computational techniques for analyzing infectious diseases are diverse and growing rapidly. Some techniques have been newly developed, whereas others have been derived from diverse fields including dynamical systems, stochastic processes, statistical physics, graph theory, statistics, operations research and high-performance computing [5]. Recently, several computational methods such as image processing, numerical methods, optimization, statistics, artificial intelligence etc. have been successfully employed for biomedical analysis and medical diagnostics. Such tools have proved to be valuable for treatment and surgery planning, design of biosensors and development of decision support systems. The European Journal for Biomedical Informatics (EJBI), being an official journal of the European Federation for Medical Informatics, offers an excellent forum for sharing and understanding of interdisciplinary scientific knowledge between the biomedical researchers and the healthcare industry. Being a multilingual journal, EJBI also ensures the wide reach of information on an international scale. This special issue of EJBI entitled “Applications of Computational Techniques in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research” gathers the authors’ effort to bring relevant scientific and technological discussion about the applicability of computational methods such as image processing, intelligent computing, finite element methods, etc. in multidisciplinary areas of infectious diseases and clinical research. This issue comprises eight excellent contributions which depict ideas applied in diverse areas such as intelligent biosensor development, infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis, analysis of clinical signals and images, and clinical biomechanics. Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease and is a major cause of death in underdeveloped and developing countries. In the paper presented by Priya and Srinivasan, an automated decision support system based on evolutionary extreme learning machines and sputum smear images has been developed for diagnosis of Tuberculosis infection. In recent years, the spread of HIV/AIDS has become a global problem and is considered to be the most severe health crisis of modern times. In the article submitted by Senbagamalar and Baskar Babujee, the authors have analyzed the anti HIV activity of Quinolone Carboxylic acids using graph theory. Next, in the research article presented by Subashini et al., the authors have extensively analyzed the antimicrobial effects of the selected herbal plants such as Solanum xanthocarpum, Solanum nigrum and Helianthus annuus, using digital image processing techniques. In the next paper authored by Ganapathi et al., the authors have used finite element methods for design and analysis of a hip implant model for surgical planning. The authors have further optimized the implant for improving patient safety. Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancy in women and is a continuing threat worldwide. In the paper presented by Yuvaraj and Ragupathy, a computer aided method for segmentation and classification of mass in mammographic images has been developed using a hybrid neurofuzzy system. In the next article presented by Najumnissa and Rangaswamy, a detailed comparison on the classification performance of intelligent computing techniques such as back propagation networks, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system, particle swarm optimization based neural networks and radial basis function neural networks, for classification of normal and abnormal EEG signals, has been performed. The paper authored by Innocent et al., describes a computer aided semen quantification technique for analyzing the quality of sperm in men. At present, infertility has become a major concern in marital relationships and an automated system for evaluation of sperm quality is highly useful for fast and efficient analysis of infertility in men. In the final paper of this special issue, presented by Durai Arun et al., the authors have developed an image based microtiter plate reader system for 96-well format fluorescence

Socio-psychological deconstruction of fear of Boko Haram in Nigeria: The Nigerian media perspective

This paper examines the language of fear and anxiety as an adaptive response to Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. In particular, the paper is interested in investigating the various contexts of fear, horror and terror, and assessing issues surrounding the linguistic significance of them. Using data drawn mainly from the Nigerian print media, it explores issues which lie at the interface of fear, horror and terror. In this regard, a theoretical underpinning of language of insurgency as a source of fear and horror in the Nigerian context is attempted. We examine the issues from the perspective of direct and indirect victims of Boko Haram acts of terrorism and insurgency who have been provoked by experiences of fear, horror and terror to give verbalise them by utilizing the immense linguistic resources at their disposal. By adopting a kind of flight response to the Boko Haram insurgency, the victims manifest the three basic conditions, which elicit anxiety- over-stimulation, cognitive incongruity, and response unavailability. For the direct victims, their cognitive, behavioural and physiological responses become debilitating as some optimal level of stimulation is aroused due mainly to failure to release benzodiapines, which are necessary for the amount of Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GAMA) needed to regulate neuronal transmission. As regards the indirect victims represented by the Federal Government, the allurement of verging on the anvil of defence mechanism, illusion, and denial to simulate a semblance of national security in the face of raging Boko Haram inferno loses its appeal. This rude awakening summoned on the part of Government a renewed kind of political will, temerity and galvanic purposefulness to tackle the Boko Haram challenge with the full complement of its defence, security, and intelligence infrastructure. The paper’s optimistic projection is that the success of the ‘carrot and stick’ campaign aimed at decapitating Boko Haram insurgency will go a long in stemming the corroding tide of fear and anxiety racking Nigerians and indeed the international community.

Knowledge of patients’ visual experience during cataract surgery: a survey of eye doctors in Karachi, Pakistan

BackgroundSeveral recent studies have recommended that ophthalmologists must be aware of the visual sensations (and their associated anxiety/fear) experienced by patients undergoing cataract surgery. We assessed the knowledge of a group of eye doctors in Pakistan regarding these phenomena.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey. Eye doctors (ophthalmologists, residents and medical officers) attending the Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan Annual Conference 2011, in Karachi were invited to participate in the study. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to examine their knowledge of visual sensations and their associated anxiety/fear experienced by patients during cataract surgery. Simple frequencies and proportions were calculated to describe the data.ResultsA total of 150 ophthalmologists, residents and medical officers were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 68 (45.3%) responded. The mean age (±SD) of the participants was 42.9 (13.2) years. The proportion of participants who thought that patients could experience visual sensations during cataract surgery under regional anaesthesia was 89.7% and that under topical anaesthesia was 73.5%. The most frequently cited sensations included: light perception, changes in light brightness, movements, instruments and surgeon’s hands or fingers.The eye doctors estimated that 38.9% and 64.3% patients would see at least something during cataract surgery under regional anaesthesia and topical anaesthesia, respectively. They also believed that 24.2%-36.9% of patients may experience anxiety/fear as a result of visual sensations during such surgery. Approximately half of the eye doctors did not think that retained vision was a source of fear or anxiety for the patients. While most of them acknowledged the importance of preoperative counselling in helping to alleviate such fear/anxiety, the majority of them did not regularly counsel their patients on what to expect during the surgery.ConclusionOur study reveals that a significant proportion of eye doctors do not have adequate knowledge of the visual phenomenon and their associated anxiety or fear, that patients can experience during cataract surgery. Targeted educational interventions are needed to increase awareness of this phenomenon among eye care professionals.

Relationship Guidance Sources, Fears and Reasons for Marriage among Young Urban Christians in Kenya

Existing professional services for young people especially in developing countries need to be informed by the local situation for them to be effective. The study aimed at identifying sources of relationship guidance, young people's fea rs and reasons for marriage. 65 young Christians in Nairobi with an average age of 25.23 (sd.4.38) co mpleted a self -report questionnaire. Results indicate that the participants relied mainly on friends for relat ionship guidance. Social emot ional benefits, especially co mpanions hip, were the major motivation for young people to marry. Infidelity and divorce were the main sources of fear of marriage. Suggestions for research and practice are given.

Internal sensations as a source of fear: exploring a link between hypoxia and flight phobia

Although flight phobia is very common in the general population, knowledge of the underlying mechanisms is limited. The aim of the current study is to determine whether hypoxia is selectively associated with flight anxiety. We wanted to explore levels of oxygen saturation (SpO2) and the associated subjective somatic sensations in flight phobics and controls. The data collected in this study were obtained from 103 participants: 54 had flight phobia, 49 were controls. SpO2 as well as a subjective report of somatic sensations and anxiety were measured during short haul flights, both at ground level and at cruising altitude. Results indicated that both flight phobics and controls showed a comparable clinical significant decrease in SpO2 from sea level to cruising altitude. Next, at ground level the flight phobic group reported more somatic sensations, most likely due to the elevated levels of anxiety at that point. However, at cruising altitude the flight phobic group still reported more somatic sensations while the level of anxiety was no longer significantly different from controls. This finding points to altered symptom perception in flight phobia and stresses the importance of somatic sensations in this particular phobia.

Backlash of multiculturalist and republicanist policies of integration in the age of securitization

This paper is critically engaged in the elaboration of the securitization and stigmatization of migration and Islam in the West, which is believed to be leading to the rise of Islamophobic sentiments and to the backlash of both multiculturalism and republicanism. Migration has been framed as a source of fear and instability for the nation-states in the West in a way that constructs ‘communities of fear’. It will be claimed that both securitization and Islamophobia have recently been employed by the neo-liberal states as a form of governmentality in order to control the masses in ethno-culturally and religiously diverse societies at the expense of deepening the already existing cleavages between majority and minorities with Muslim background.

Inner Otherness as a Source of Fear: Elements of Horror in Balkan Travelogues

Travel fiction has created numerous Others, assigning them an ontologically unstable status, while the traditional travelogue spread a fear of the dark interior of Europe, presenting images of daily political strife, assassinations, wars and uprisings. Just like the Gothic novel, which entertained its readers with images of ruins and gloomy structures in Eastern Europe, the travelogue spread a fear of the Balkans through Europe, depicting the Balkans as a place that could pose a threat to the entire continent. While enjoying the mysterious terror of the Gothic novel, Europe also derived a kind of pleasure from the shocking images that were to be found in travelogues from the Balkans. The paper re-examines the elasticity of the boundaries of the travelogue genre, and identifies convenient transformations of certain parts of the travelogue into text aimed at inspiring terror, shocking and appalling its readers. The transformations show that it is impossible to draw a strict boundary between travel fiction and travelogues, and at the same time reveal the hidden discourse used by both genres. The parallel presence of awareness of the geographic identity of the Balkans as European, and of the aspiration to depict them as the strange inner Otherness of Europe, is accompanied by the production of terrifying images. Although these images cannot be viewed solely as a threat of "reverse colonization", the assumption that hybridity is the basis on which the terrifying nature of the Balkans is produced is re-examined. The travelogue chapters, sections and illustrations assume the features of horror, particularly body horror, revealing Europe’s fear of the possibility of the Orient infiltrating the "body of the Occident", or of the possibility of the latter being infected by elements of "alien" i.e. Oriental culture.

The abject/the terrorist/the reel Arab – a point of intersection

Julia Kristeva (1982) argues that the abject not only lies outside the self but also functions as its opposition. The abject is ‘immoral, sinister [and] scheming’ (Kristeva 1982). Furthermore, abjection is the state of revulsion that is a threat to the being of the self as it blurs the boundaries between the subject and object, leading to its destruction. The abject becomes the other, the source of fear. Abject representations of terrorists post-9/11 have flooded the media. These images of abjection, however, are problematic as they solidify the ugly image of the Hollywood Arab, in which Arabs are generally viewed as one whole mass: as Lina Khatib (2006) observes Arabs ‘are not assigned a particular nationality or even a particular Arabic accent or dialect’. The terrorist’s image conforms to the modality set by film, and by mirroring the reel image1 it obfuscates the line between the real and the unreal. This paper proposes that such portrayals have been successful in placing the Arab within the abject, a priori not human. Initially, the paper will outline the portrayal of the Arab in film, before examining the point at which the images of the reel Arab and the real terrorist interconnect through a study of a number of terrorist images vis-a-vis these reel portrayals, and ultimately show how the images of terrorists aired in the news media have not deviated from these preset stereotypes. Jack Shaheen has documented Hollywood misrepresentations of Arabs in two of his books Reel Bad Arabs and Guilty: Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs after 9/11, two comprehensive studies, in which he analyzed at least 1150 films (Shaheen, 2008, 2009). Shaheen (2008) argues that Arabs ‘remain the most maligned group in the history of Hollywood’ and that malicious ‘stereotypes equating Islam and Arabs with violence have endured for more than a century’. The Arab is always the evil other outside of the self, outside of civilization and needs to be defeated; s/he is physically menacing and repellent. This abjection has to be contained. According to Kristeva (1982), within abjection lies a dark and violent revolt at being, which is directed against a threat that ‘seems to emanate from an exorbitant outside or inside’ and culminates in a violent mourning for a lost object. Tim Jon Semmerling

High Fidelity Patient Silicone Simulation: A qualitative evaluation of nursing students’ experiences

Clinical experience is recognised as a source of fear and anxiety for undergraduate nursing students. Simulated learning experiences have been identified as potentially increasing confidence, however most techniques do not always reflect clinical reality or are too costly. The aim of the current study is to explore nursing students' perceptions of the use of High Fidelity Silicone Simulation, developed by one university academic to overcome these limitations. A simulated patient with a personal and medical history is developed and brought to life through wearing life-like silicone props including face, hands and torso. The academic is able to adapt responses to direct student learning. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative exploratory study of nursing students' responses to this technique. Twenty-one students in second or third year of the nursing program participated in one of three focus groups to discuss their experiences. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. Data analysis revealed three main themes: preparation for clinical reality, reducing fear/increasing confidence, and taking out of comfort zone. These findings suggest that this technique has the potential to increase nursing students' sense of preparedness for their clinical experience, thus reducing the negative impact of fear and apprehension.

Thomas Hobbes on fear, mimesis, aisthesis and politics

Hobbes's theory of fear has two major implications for his political theory. One implication is how men's mutual fear is the source of a commonwealth by institution. The second implication is that sovereign power is the source of fear, and that sovereign power also uses that fear to govern people. These two implications have not been analyzed fully in past studies. In a way, a sovereign captures mutual fear reigning in a multitude and transforming it into a political tool designed for government of the subjects. Possessing the right and power to cause death, a sovereign takes the place of God on earth. A sovereign has certain expectations of citizens: they should obey and honour the sovereign as they obey and honour God. Analyzing Hobbes's concepts of mimesis, aisthesis and honouring reveals how Hobbes aimed to construct a political object, the State, that would effect the whole sense experience of the subject. It shows that Hobbes's political thought is not only a legal political thought, but is based also on a thoroughly new setting of esthetical, ontological and semiotic politics.

Wolf Creek, rurality and the Australian gothic

As with Crocodile Dundee before it, the recent Australian film Wolf Creek promotes a specific and arguably urban-centric understanding of rural Australia. However, whilst the former film is couched in mythologized notions of the rural idyll, Wolf Creek is based firmly around the concept of rural horror. Wolf Creek is both a horror movie and a road movie, one which relies heavily upon landscape in order to tell its story. Here we argue that the film continues a tradition in the New Australian Cinema of depicting the outback and its inhabitants as something the country's mostly coastal population do not understand. Wolf Creek skilfully plays on popular conceptions of inland Australia as empty and harsh. But more than this, the film brings to the fore tensions in the rural idyll associated with the ownership and use of rural space. As an object of urban consumption, rural space may appear passive and familiar, but in the context of rural horror iconic aspects of the Australian landscape become a source of fear – a space of abjection.

Autoinjector Improves Injection-related Tolerability Issues in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis - Exploring the New ExtaviJect™ 30G System for the Injection of Interferon Beta-1b

Most of the current disease-modifying therapies available for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) are administered by injection. This is a source of fear for many patients and a substantial cause of non-adherence to treatment. Autoinjectors can address this by ensuring that the injection is made at the correct depth and can markedly improve the comfort and tolerability of administration compared with manual syringes. Data from clinical trials support the use of autoinjectors showing that they improve adherence and that smaller gauge needles greatly reduce injection discomfort. As an initiative to improve the tolerability of interferon beta-1b (INFβ-1b) (Extavia®) administration in MS, a new injector system (ExtaviJect 30G™) has been developed that is simple to use and incorporates a narrower needle than is currently used in other injections. A preference survey amongst 200 patients, who had not used the new autoinjector, indicated that it would likely be well received by MS patients and would be easier to use than the currently available autoinjectors.

‘Aquí no somos unidos’/‘We’re not united here’: adult literacy and the obstacles to solidarity in postwar El Salvador

Based on ethnographic, participatory research in two Salvadoran villages, this article analyzes how features of the sociocultural setting bred discord and mistrust among the participants in an adult literacy program and other community residents, thereby undermining the program’s goal of equipping campesinos to work together to improve their lives. The theoretical framework incorporates critical theories of adult education emphasizing communal learning and action (i.e. solidarity). The article examines how local conditions—namely, the history of land tenure, the legacy of the Salvadoran civil war, social isolation (particularly for women), interpersonal conflicts, gossip and rumors, beliefs in hechiería (sorcery), religious divisions and preferencias (class‐based favoritism)—discouraged trust and community participation, and shaped program implementation and relationships among learners. To foster cooperation and participation in educational programs, especially in conflictual settings, educators must recognize and counteract local sources of fear and mistrust, and seek to build relationships of trust among learners.

Between justice and reconciliation: The survivors of Rwanda

This article examines the dilemmas of post-genocide Rwanda, where society finds itself caught between justice and reconciliation. One of the major challenges for Rwandans today is to engender reconciliation in a deeply wounded nation and do justice to both victims and perpetrators. It is difficulty to affirm the victims, punish the perpetrators and at the same time bring about reconciliation between them. Yet there are unequivocal claims, especially from the victims, that there can be no justice without reparation and there can be no reconciliation without justice. To bring about justice and reconciliation, the Gacaca process was put in place, but it has turned out to be a source of fear for the perpetrators, who are desperate to bury the evidence by intimidating the survivors, and for the survivors, who are now living in fear of their lives. Consequently, the rising insecurity of survivors has become a matter of national concern, and the challenges to the Gacaca process are threatening to hamper its progress. But this apparently is the only viable justice system for communities to carry out trials at community level, for it was there that the crime of genocide was committed in a mass-killing frenzy. Truth telling and confessions by perpetrators, and forgiveness by victims have been identified as crucial steps towards reconciliation, but the dilemma lies in the inherent contradictions in the application of these concepts: truth, confession and forgiveness.

Severing the Source of Fear: Contemplative Dynamics of the Tibetan Buddhist GCod Tradition

Asking ‘What is the nature of fear?’, ‘How is it that fear and terror are amenable to being “severed” or “transcended”?’, and ‘Why would it be advantageous to “sever” fear?’, this paper investigates the act of cutting-through fear via the Tibetan Buddhist meditative tradition known as ‘gCod’ (‘chöd’). Through examining Mahayana philosophical notions of self and phenomena, as well as the psychological implications of subject-object reification at the heart of gCod, we elaborate on the interior cognitive and emotional dynamics of gCod praxis. In order to elaborate on these contemplative dynamics, we reflect upon translated verses from one of the seminal texts of the gCod tradition, entitled The Essence of Enlightened Awareness: The Quintessence of the Profound Meaning of the Entirety of Expositions and Guidance on the Transcendent Wisdom that Cuts-Through.

Introduction

Aristide R. Zolberg Introduction THIS SECTION OF THE SOCIAL RESEARCH ISSUE DEVOTED TO THE FEAR conference addresses three very different case studies, all of which deal with a fundamental problem: the state as the source of fear, or as the exploiter of fear. I would like to introduce it, however, by remind­ ing us that the relationship of the state to fear is a paradoxical one: we also depend heavily on the state to protect us from fear. Reflect, for example, on the situation encountered in a number of African coun­ tries, notably Liberia, which is currently in the headlines because there is a UN commitment—really an American comm itment—to provide assistance in rebuilding a countiy destroyed by civil war. For a number of years, the basic protection that the inhabitants of most states take for granted—namely, to avoid being killed by roving armed gangs—was lacking: instead Liberians faced a very Hobbesian situation of a war of all against all. Unfortunately, this is now hardly unique, and political scientists are struggling to elaborate the notion of “failed states,”which might perhaps be better termed “an absence of state.” In keeping with this, although the papers deal with the state as the source of fear, each also deals with the state as protector. Jessica Stern acknowledges that there really is terrorism out there, and that the issue of how to deal with it effectively remains unresolved. Ellen Schrecker, in her paper on McCarthyism, also points out—in passing, because that is not what her paper is about—that we know since the end of the Cold War that there really were spies out there, and that the Soviet Union engaged in persistent attempts to enlist Americans in the spying game. E. Valentine Daniel, in his paper on Sri Lanka, deals with a situation that is not precisely of the “failed state” variety, but social research Voi 71 : No 4 : W inter 2004 1039 does entail a protracted civil war in whose course the state is unable to protect those who need protection, and at the same time contributes to the further promotion of insecurity. Thus, all three papers are situated in the midst of very complex situations, and as we read them, it is vital to keep this complexity in mind. Within a democratic context, the papers raise practical issues: • How do you evaluate a threat? And what sorts of democratic controls can you have over processes that are inherently secretive? How do you control intelligence? For example, the US Congress exercises oversight by way of specialized committees, but most of what goes on in those that deal with intelligence is itself secretive. As we have been made painfully aware by developments since 2001, how do we make sure that intelligence is not misused? * How do you balance protection and respect for civil liberties in the face of genuine threats? The inherent tension is well illustrated by Ellen Schrecker’s case, and we are living through something like that now as well. Most of us probably recognize that certain kinds of threats require unusual actions, but how do we ensure that government does not overstep its bounds in carrying them out? How can balance be established? 1040 social research ...