War-torn Countries Research Articles

Uloga fabrike “Bratstvo” u razvoju Novog Travnika

The establishment of the socialist regime had led to thorough political, economic, social, cultural and other changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first decade after the Second World War was marked by the reconstruction of the war-torn country, and great support in that process was provided by the USSR - the main ally of the new Yugoslavia. Emphasis was placed on the intensive development of the industry, which was to be the carrier of the overall economic development of the entire country. In accordance with this strategy, large industrial plants were established in all parts of Yugoslavia, thanks to which there was an intensive process of urbanization of numerous previously dormant communities. However, when there was a conflict and then a break with the USSR, Yugoslavia was forced to partially modify its economic development plans (the so-called Five-Year Plans). These changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina were most felt by cities such as Zenica, which instead of the originally planned Doboj became a Yugoslav metallurgical center, and Novi Travnik, which arose as a result of relocating part of the arms industry from Kragujevac in Serbia to central Bosnia. The factory “Bratstvo" (meaning Brotherhood) was built on a deserted meadow near Travnik in the heart of central Bosnia, and for the needs of housing workers who built industrial plants, as well as for those who worked in those plants, the first residential buildings were built in the form of low-quality wooden barracks. These were the roots of the workers' settlement that gradually grew into a new town called Novi Travnik. The fateful link between the factory and the city, which was established at that time, was not interrupted during the entire socialist period, so the survival and development of Novi Travnik completely depended on the business opportunities in the "Bratstvo" factory. The expansion of the production and plant of the "Bratstvo" also included the construction of new housing, communal, social, health, sports, cultural, catering and other facilities in Novi Travnik. A successful business year in "Bratstvo" meant a secure inflow of money into the local community budget as well as a sufficient number of funds for the work of cultural, artistic, entertainment, sports and all other societies in the city. The same rule applied in the case of bad business of "Bratstvo", and the most obvious example of how important the factory was for Novi Travnik can be seen in the case of a failed business in Ghana. The local authorities in Novi Travnik were absolutely aware of the role of the "Brotherhood" in the development of Novi Travnik and tried in every way to facilitate the functioning of the company, so, except for a few mere misunderstandings, relations between city and factory management were mostly friendly. After all, when the survival of the "Bratstvo" was called into question due to the failed business in Ghana, local authorities were among the first to appeal for the company's salvation, clearly noting that with the disappearance of the factory, the fate of Novi Travnik would be sealed. The paper presents a brief overview of the history of the company "Bratstvo" from its founding in June 1949 until the end of the socialist period in 1990, and analyses the relations between the city and factory authorities in that period. The aim of the paper was to show the importance that the factory "Bratstvo" had for the overall development of Novi Travnik and to determine how much the local authorities were aware of the role of companies in the development of the city. The paper provides insight into the processes that took place in a particular local community, but which can also be found in other industrial cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yugoslavia during the socialist period.

Achieving Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 16 in former war-torn countries through Peace Education

Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) 4 targets education whilst 16 focuses on the promotion of “peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” (www.sdgs.un.org). Within these two goals are numerous targets (www.undp.org). This paper asserts the inherent link between SDG 16 and SDG 4, which targets to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” (www.sdg4education2030.org/the-goal) can be enhanced by the lens afforded by Peace Education which is interlinked with approaches described through Peacebuilding. Indeed, this paper argues that at the nexus between Peace Education and Peacebuilding, SDGs 4 and 16 can be achieved even in post-war societies. This can be achieved, according to the findings of this research, only if Peace Education: (a) becomes the 4th ‘R’ in formal education and is afforded the same significant role as the three-‘R’s of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic; (b) stresses on behavioural change as the main aim of the Peace Education program; and (c) understand that Peace Education is the ‘social process through which peace … is achieved’ (Brock-Utne 2000, 134) and therefore can assist in success of SDG 4 and 16.

Neurosurgery training in war-torn countries: A perspective from Iraq and Syria.

Neurosurgery training in war-torn countries: A perspective from Iraq and Syria.

Consensus-based urban sustainability framework for Iraqi cities: A case study in Baghdad

The paper proposes a comprehensive sustainability framework for urban development projects in hot, dry developing regions. Such a framework is required due to the lack of knowledge in these regions of issues including population-inflation, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, water shortages and high energy consumption. Iraq is one such developing country having a hot, dry, semi-arid climate with unique socio-cultural factors which have been impacted by four decades of war. New development projects are underway but scant attention has been paid to sustainability, specifically in cities e.g. Baghdad. This framework has been developed using expert consultations to reach a consensus on its dimensions, three in total: the use of satellite cities around existing cities for various purposes (residential, industrial, commercial and administrative) with the creation of a green belt, the determination of criteria for future domestic energy projects, e.g. the minimum energy requirements for an average Iraqi family and on-site renewable sources such as solar energy, and the application of a set of urban sustainable development factors to improve the quality of services and human well-being. This study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive sustainability framework for a country that has suffered several decades of wars and international sanctions. This framework was subsequently validated using semi structured interviews with 15 local intra-organizational leaders. The key findings of this paper based on this validation show that 12 out of 15 intra-organizational leaders highly recommended the adoption of the developed framework, highlighting their level of understanding, accepting, feasibility and challenging, and their future scope to develop this framework in order to enhance the quality of life at the city scale. Moreover, the leaders of the Mayoralty of Baghdad emphasised to adopt the developed framework in order to mitigate the current and future challenges of the capital Baghdad, including housing deficit, traffic problems, economical issues, and environmental pollution. The key contributions of this study is its investigation of locality-specific issues in war-torn countries such as Iraq, specifically this includes; (a) analyzing locality-specific problems based on engagement with stakeholders, and the general public, (b) proposing a framework to solve multiple problems, including lack of environmental strategies, traffic congestion, housing deficit, rapid urbanization and population growth and, (c) validation of the framework through engagement with intra-organsational leadership in different ministries and organizations like, ministry of housing and construction, Mayoralty of Baghdad, ministry of water resources, UN-HABITIAT program in Iraq, ministry of electricity, National consultation engineering committee, and etc.

Epidemic and control of COVID-19 in Niger: quantitative analyses in a least developed country.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the public health response system worldwide, especially in poverty-stricken, war-torn, and least developed countries (LDCs).MethodsWe characterized the epidemiological features and spread dynamics of COVID-19 in Niger, quantified the effective reproduction number (Rt), evaluated the impact of public health control measures, and estimated the disease burden.ResultsAs of 4 July 2020, COVID-19 has affected 29 communes of Niger with 1093 confirmed cases, among whom 741 (67.8%) were males. Of them 89 cases died, resulting in a case fatality rate (CFR) of 8.1%. Both attack rates and CFRs were increased with age (P < 0.0001). Health care workers accounted for 12.8% cases. Among the reported cases, 39.3% were isolated and treated at home, and 42.3% were asymptomatic. 74.6% cases were clustered in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The Rt fluctuated in correlation to control measures at different outbreak stages. After the authorities initiated the national response and implemented the strictest control measures, Rt quickly dropped to below the epidemic threshold (<1), and maintained low level afterward. The national disability-adjusted life years attributable to COVID-19 was 1267.38 years in total, of which years of life lost accounted for over 99.1%.ConclusionsClassic public health control measures such as prohibition of public gatherings, travelling ban, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine at home, are proved to be effective to contain the outbreak in Niger, and provide guidance for controlling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in LDCs.

The use of three-dimensional anatomical patient-specific printed models in surgical clipping of intracranial aneurysm: A pilot study.

Background: In the present study, we aim to develop simulation models based on computed tomography angiography images of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) and their parent vessels using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. The study focuses on the value of these 3D models in presurgical planning and intraoperative navigation and ultimately their impact on patient outcomes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of its kind from a war-torn country, like Iraq.Methods: This is a prospective study of a series of 11, consecutively enrolled, patients suffering from IAs for the period between February and September 2019. The study represents a collaboration between the two major neurosurgical centers in Baghdad/Iraq; Neurosciences Teaching Hospital and Neurosurgery Teaching Hospital. We analyzed the data of eleven patients with IAs treated by microsurgical clipping. These data include patient demographics, clinical, surgical, and outcomes along with the data of the 3D-printed replica used in these surgeries. All cases were operated on by one surgeon.Results: Our study included 11 patients, with a total of 11 aneurysms clipped. The mean age was 44 ± 8, with a median of 42.5 and a range of 35–61 years. About 60% of our patients were female with a female-to-male ratio of 1:5. About 60% of the aneurysms were located at the anterior communicating artery (Acom) while the remaining 40% were equally distributed between the posterior communicating and internal carotid arteries bifurcation. The standard pterional approach was followed in 50% of cases, whereas the other 50% of patients were treated through the lateral supraorbital approach. About 90% (n = 9) of the patients had a Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) of 5 and 10% had a GOS of 4. The 3D-printed models successfully replicated the aneurysm size, location, and relation to the parent vessel with 100% accuracy and were used for intraoperative guidance. The average production time was 24–48 h and the production cost was 10–20 US dollars.Conclusion: 3D printing is a promising technology that is rapidly penetrating the field of neurosurgery. In particular, the use of 3D-printed patient-matched, anatomically accurate replicas of the cerebral vascular tree is valuable adjunct to the microsurgical clipping of IAs, and our study conclusions support this concept. However, both the feasibility and clinical utility of 3D printing remain the subject of much, ongoing investigations.

‘Does peacekeeping deter terrorism?’

ABSTRACT This article examines the effect of the presence of UN peacekeeping forces on the scale of domestic terrorist violence in civil war-torn countries. By employing matching and regression analysis, I explore two samples: one contains information about countries during the active phase of fighting (in-war); and the other relates to after the fighting has finished. I find that the presence of UN peacekeepers during the active phase of fighting has no significant effect on the number of terrorist attacks, but it decreases the number of terrorist attacks after the war is over.

Keeping electoral peace? Activities of United Nations peacekeeping operations and their effects on election-related violence

In war-torn countries, elections are held to support peacebuilding, but they sometimes trigger new violence. While peacekeeping operations (PKOs) regularly accompany electoral periods, we lack systematic knowledge on how they influence election-related violence. I argue that variation in peacekeepers’ activities is fundamentally important: only if PKOs assist with securing and organizing elections can they reduce election-related violence. Using novel data on PKOs’ election-related activities and accounting for endogeneity in both peacekeeping deployment and activities, the analyses of all 630 elections in conflict-affected countries support this expectation. The result implies that the design of PKOs is crucial for effectively managing post-war political transitions.

Taliban insurgency and transnational organized crime nexus

Afghanistan has been demolished by more than three decades of the ongoing war since the war against the Soviet Union started in 1979. The Afghanistan-Pakistan region provides a geographically secure location and a space of opportunity for organized crime and terrorist groups. This paper aims at exploring the Taliban nexus with organized crime groups in Afghanistan and the region through Makarenko’s crime-terror continuum theory. The method of this study is qualitative through the descriptive-analytical approach. The growing connection between insurgents and organized crime poses essential challenges to the region. Each group has developed both criminal and terrorist elements while not relinquishing its original organizing principle. Afghanistan is a war-torn country and weak governance, terrorism, narcotics, illegal mining, poor border control, and widespread corruption provide the perfect opportunity for convergence of the Taliban with organized criminal and insurgent groups in the region. The Taliban and organized crime groups are involved in kidnapping for ransom, drug trade, extortion, and exploitation of natural resources. The finding indicates that, although the objectives of the insurgent and organized crime organizations differ widely, these enabling variables are also suitable for organized crime organizations. The primary objective of organized crime is to gain profit, and the objective of the insurgent is to contest the state power and promote political change through violence. The economic sources are the primary main reason why the two organizations converge.

The Role of International Law in Protection against Attacks on Children’s Education Rights in Armed Conflict

This study was aimed to investigate issues associated with the education rights of children in international and non-international armed conflict and the influence of armed conflict on educational staff and facilities in war-torn countries. Relevant international conventions are reviewed to evaluate their effectiveness in curbing the influence of armed conflict on children&amp;#39;s education. The study highlights the importance of international humanitarian law (IHL) in inhibiting attacks against students, educational staff, and educational facilities during armed conflict. It also reviews conventional and non-conventional methods of protection and suggests ways in which IHL may be clarified and developed to enhance the supervision of the provision of education during armed struggles. The article concludes that it is necessary to have specific international conventions, oversight bodies and relevant educational obligations in order to guarantee law enforcement and require countries or member states to implement articles or provisions properly so as to improve and reinforce the education rights of children whose lives are impacted by armed conflict. In emergency situations, legal provisions constitute a vital protective measure.

Introduction: Federalism as a Tool of Conflict Resolution

ABSTRACT There is a growing literature on the use of federalism as a tool of conflict resolution. Yet, while this literature focuses mainly on single case studies, there remains a gap in our comparative understanding of the workings of federalism as a tool to end violent conflicts, as well as the conditions under which it may succeed in bringing peace to war-torn countries. By discussing core themes that emerge when looking at single case studies and relevant theories on the use of federalism as a tool of conflict resolution, we highlight the importance of three main issues in our understanding of the workings of federalism as a tool of conflict resolution: (1) The role of centralization, decentralization and recentralization in the management of diversity and to accommodate the demands of different groups; (2) Contestation of the state, identity, the idea of federalism and other key issues in societies, in which ownership over the state is contested and fought over; and (3) Third-party intervention, geopolitics, and geoeconomics in the management of diversity. By bringing together existing debates on the topic of federalism and conflict resolution, and positioning the papers in this special issue within these debates, some of the complexities but also promises of the use of federalism as a tool of conflict resolution will be highlighted.

War Memory, Psychological Trauma, and Literary Witnessing: Afghan Cultural Production in Focus

As non-literary accounts of post-traumatic stress disorder victims depict, and contribute to, history and memory, the present study uses the theoretical underpinnings of the psychological trauma theory to reflect on the flashbacks of Afghan trauma survivors, portrayed in the selected Afghan Anglophone fiction. The research project attempts to see how far the flashbacks of the traumatic memories of these characters contribute to the oft-quoted factual history. Borrowing from Caruth, Herman, Tal and LaCapra for the analysis, the study investigates the selected literary text to see how cultural productions from this war-torn country keep a record of the traumatic memories of the war that the Afghans were faced with during the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989. This trauma analysis of Atiq Rahimi’s Earth and Ashes (2002) shows that analyses of trauma-induced flashbacks in literary portrayals of traumatized characters may, simultaneously, contribute to the officially recorded history of the actual event of trauma. The study concludes that related literary texts may be studied in conjunction with factual historical documents to get a holistic picture of any traumatic event as well as the related memory.

Demographic Profile of Gastric Cancer in Afghanistan

Gastric cancer is the second commonest cause of death among all cancers and the fifth most common cancer in the world. The number of deaths due to gastric cancer is about 723,000 annually. It is more common in men compared to women. The incidence of gastric cancer has 20-fold variation worldwide. In Asia, it is the third most prevalent cancer after breast and colorectal cancers. The prevalence of gastric cancer in Middle East varies from very high in Iran to low in Israel and very low in Egypt. The purpose of this study was to assess the demographic profile of gastric cancer in Afghanistan. A retrospective analysis of patient's records at the Oncology Department of Jamhoriat Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan was conducted in a 1year period. Data of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer was obtained from the registers of the oncology department from March 2018 to February 2019. Variables of interest included age, gender, ethnicity, and place of residence of the patients. Totally, 1324 cancer patients attended to the oncology department in 1year; of these, 174 patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer. There were significantly more gastric cancer patients among males (69.5%) relative to females. With regard to ethnicity, the Tajeks contributed majority of the cases presenting with gastric cancer. The majority of the patients presenting with gastric cancer were from Kabul province. There were more cases of gastric cancer were in northern provinces. Majority of the cases were contributed by patients above 50years of age and male gender. This retrospective study aims to provide information about prevalence and demographic characteristics of patient with gastric cancer in Afghanistan. However, there is lack of literature regarding gastric cancer in this war-torn country.

Assessing educational difficulties of students from refugee backgrounds: a case study approach

AbstractThe present study applied a qualitative case study methodology to the educational challenges of three students from a refugee background, in order to identify an appropriate psychological assessment process with which to evaluate their difficulties. Three students who had arrived from Iraq 1–2 years ago (one male and two females; aged 13 and 14 years) were referred by their teachers for psychological assessment as their academic progress was poor, despite remedial education. An educational and developmental psychologist, guided by a steering committee of psychologists and educationists, interviewed each student, his/her parent/s, and teachers independently. Based on referral concerns, hypotheses relating to the cause of educational difficulties were generated and psychological tests and checklists were used with all students and their parents and teachers. The data collected assisted in understanding multiple factors that may affect learning for students who have arrived from a war-torn country, and highlighted the importance of gathering detailed case-specific information to understand each student’s background and current context. Challenges associated with the assessment process were identified. Further, ways in which psychologists and guidance officers, teachers and parents could promote these students’ learning were identified. Implications for schools and policy developers are discussed.

Cultural Competence of Professionals Working With Unaccompanied Minors: Addressing Empathy by a Shared Narrative.

BackgroundThe number of migrant youth traveling without parents continues to rise in Europe and North America. Some of t hem leave their home countries on their own and find themselves in a new country, separated from their family and cut off from their cultural roots. Besides those who leave to study, work, and pursue a better life, others are escaping war-torn countries. They need adequate social, educational, and therapeutic spaces, where they can feel entitled to speak. Social workers often ask about how they can understand these young people better so that they can provide them with better care (cope with their trauma and suspicion, deal with the cultural distance between the adolescents and their social workers, etc).AimAt Cochin Hospital in Paris, we led a participative action-research program to transmit cultural competence to social workers who provide care for these youth. The aim was to develop an approach to help these young migrants to share their representations about themselves and to train these social workers to encourage this sharing in a culturally sensitive manner.MethodsThis study used a qualitative method that mixed narrative and transcultural approaches. Two researchers met each youth and social worker with an interpreter-cultural mediator three times (once a month) to assess changes in their relationships during the study. The youth were asked to bring three items of their choice, representing their past, present, and future. They could use their imagination and creativity. We also used the circle test described by Cottle for this purpose. We used a phenomenological approach to analyze the interviews.Results and DiscussionThis study included 29 young people from 13 different countries and 29 social workers. A transcultural approach appears to be a useful framework for reactivating their identity construction process. It promotes the emergence of cultural representations and takes their experiences before, during, and after migration into account. We assisted them in developing their ability to produce a thorough narrative of their bicultural adolescences and simultaneously helped their social workers to develop their cultural competence.ConclusionTogether, a transcultural approach and methods stimulating the production of narrative are relevant ways to help children to describe their representations of themselves, especially those who have learned to protect themselves by remaining silent. This protocol could be useful for both preventive action and therapy for psychotrauma.

Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas and the Society for Making Lithuania Beautiful

The article presents activities of the Society for Making Lithuania Beautiful established in Lithuania in 1921. The vision and actions of its ideologue and first chairman Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas contributed to a more active process of memorialization in Lithuania, introducing the idea that it was necessary to build monuments as a ‘reward’ to prominent people or historical figures and fill in the vacuum created by the tsarist occupation which banned national monuments in the country. At that time, there was a great shortage of memorials, so the decision to introduce new identification marks in the form of a tree (every year, a tree with an agreed name and memorial function was planted in a special place) or of a monument was timely, as was the attempt to replant the war-torn country and beautify its surroundings. The imperative goal to make Lithuania beautiful turned into actions and traditions, such as annual visits and upkeep of historical objects, especially hill forts, tree planting and bird festivals. Tumas-Vaižgantas and the Society encouraged Lithuanians to nurture the landscape and cultural heritage objects, to create signs significant for the nation, and at the same time, spaces of local memory. In this way, the romanticized concept of statehood was introduced through visuals.

The Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis is Due to Inequality

The Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis is Due to Inequality Mariano Aguirre (bio) First it was a suggestion and then it became an order: wash your hands and keep your distance. Those two seemingly simple actions represent the world we live in today—a world in which millions of people lack the water necessary for the first order and the space for the second. Later we were told to confine ourselves, something also beyond the reach of many. COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is highlighting the profound inequality that exists in our global society and our states. As the pandemic spreads, healthcare systems worldwide are finding that they lack the resources necessary to cope with the crisis. It seems that no country had prepared for such a scenario, despite warnings issued by the scientific and economic sectors. The order to wash our hands must have triggered reactions of disbelief among the millions of people living in the shantytowns, shacks, favelas, and outskirts of cities like Johannesburg, Nairobi, Mexico DF, or San Pablo. If there is anything lacking in these places, it is sanitary facilities and water. In fact, water is increasingly scarce in many countries, mainly due to climate breakdown. IMMIGRATION GETS NO SICK LEAVE Until recently, disease outbreaks like this happened in far-off countries of the Global South (think Ebola) or were events of the past (think bubonic plague). But their impacts are now being felt closer to home, [End Page 223] just like the impacts of the climate crisis: heat waves in Europe, cities that lose a few centimeters every year to rising oceans in the coastal United States, fires that rage for months in Australia. In the past decade, the harsh realities that usually affect others have become familiar to us through immigration. Poverty and wars force millions of people to leave their war-torn countries. Border closures, deportations, and pressure on and payments to other countries to stop immigrants from passing through do not address the root of the problem; neither COVID-19 nor Donald Trump's wall will stop people from moving. According to the United Nations, 272 million people worldwide migrated in 2019. Hundreds of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers continue to be trapped between armed groups and traffickers who exploit them sexually and through intensive labor. Have the traffickers adopted a stay-at-home policy? Will they maintain a safe distance from their prisoners? The scenes that take place in the improvised refugee camps set up for those fleeing Myanmar or Syria could also be seen in Italy and Spain: sick people lying on the floors of hospitals that do not have the resources to treat them. WARS AND PRECARIOUSNESS UN Secretary General António Guterres requested that ceasefires be declared for the duration of the coronavirus crisis in the approximately 30 ongoing armed conflicts around the world. It is quite unlikely that this will happen. In many ongoing wars, economic interests overpower political interests. When little value is attached to life, nobody will stop fighting for humanitarian reasons, not even to protect their own health. Organized crime co-opts and coerces communities to work in their illicit production operations, as happens in Mexico and Afghanistan. Maybe the lawyers and politicians who collaborate with organized crime can work from home, but there will be no sick leave or unemployment benefits for those who must produce, transport, and illicitly sell goods in order to feed their families. [End Page 224] COVID-19 is like a blackout that has caught half the world off guard in the elevator of inequality and the myth of a globalization that is supposed to benefit us all. It is true that the virus has no regard for class and may attack the respiratory tracts of the 9.5 percent of the world's population that controls 85 percent of the planet's wealth. But whereas for some people isolation means keeping a safe distance from the domestic staff and making more frequent use of the various home delivery and private healthcare services, for billions of others it implies a series of exponentially growing dramatic dilemmas. Falling ill is always complicated...

Pakistan’s Role in the Social Reconstruction of Afghanistan in the Post 9/11 Era

Afghanistan has been under a state of war for the past few decades. Wars and the ensuing destruction in the region have badly affected the socio-economic and security environment of the country. The situation in Afghanistan has been equally alarming to the neighboring states, particularly for Pakistan which shares its longest porous border with this war torn country. Cognizant to this fact Pakistan not only fully supported the NATO forces to stem the looming threat of Al -Qaeda and Taliban but have also taken serious interest in the social reconstruction of Afghanistan. The primary focus of this paper is to highlight the role of Pakistan with respect to the social reconstruction of Afghanistan. Here the term “social” broadly employs to some important social sectors of Afghanistan such as communication, health, education, and the hosting of Afghan refugees as well as the nurturing of Afghan businessmen in Pakistan and their contribution to the Afghan socio-economic development. The paper at hand argues that Pakistan, due to its geographical proximity and ethnic similarity with Afghan Pashtun can play significant role in the social reconstruction of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s performance in this regard can become more effective if her own security concerns regarding the involvement of hostile countries in Afghanistan are properly addressed by the international community.

Mitigating the Adverse Consequences of Pandemics: A Short Note with a Special Reference to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is reported to have a higher transmissibility than SARS. One reason contributing to its rapid spread is that “many more patients with COVID-19 rather than SARS have mild symptoms,” and as a result miss timely treatment and self-isolation advice (Wilder-Smith et al 2020). Another reason is the lack of “surge capacity” and inefficient “emergency response systems” of countries to cope with the sudden, rapid rise in infected cases. Surge capacity, in general terms, is a healthcare system’s ability to mobilize health resources to meet increased demand in the event of large-scale disasters or public health emergencies. The recent outbreak has exposed the fact that most countries lacked dedicated facilities for conducting lab tests in isolated sites, enough hospital space, cohort ICUs for COVID-19 patients, triage areas for suspected COVID-19 patients, intensive-care beds, appropriately trained workforce, protective masks, modern ventilators and other essential medical supplies. Virus containment measures involving business shutdowns, plant closures, restaurant closures, and workplace closures are likely to cause severe economic losses to many economies for a prolonged period through multiple channels: viz., through demand and supply shocks. These containment measures are likely to hit hard the world’s leading economies and disrupt the global supply chain. The most hard hit countries, including G-7 countries, China and South Korea, account for about 55% of the world’s GDP, about 60% of global manufacturing, and 50% of global manufacturing exports (Baldwin et al 2020). Economic disruptions in these economies heighten the chances of triggering a global economic crisis. Limiting the economic fallout of the coronavirus at both individual country and global levels needs some priorities and swift actions. The first priority is to boost the capacity of countries’ health systems with a focus on reducing mortality and transmission. Another immediate priority action for countries is to adopt large, deficit-financed public investment on a continuing basis (Krugman 2020). Economists have pressed for a decisive and coordinated program of fiscal stimulus among G-20 nations. Another social concern from COVID-19 is the looming danger of an unprecedented scale of human suffering, particularly of the economically weaker and vulnerable section of people in every society, and people in war-torn countries with lack of access to daily living essentials. Finally, to prevent future occurrences of pandemics, internationally collaborative research is needed to understand the “zoonotic” roots of viruses.

An Analysis of Syrian Conflict with the Lens of the Realist School of Thought

The Syrian war is rooted in the conflict between the Sunni opposition and Shia leader President Bashar, torn the country. The Syrian war took baby steps during the Arab Spring, which was supposed to bring hope and prosperity to Syria but unfortunately led to a series of horrifying protests that grew into a 9-year long civil war. The war-torn country has forced millions to escape the horrors of continuous fighting only to seek refuge in other countries with bare minimum resources. Multiple efforts by the International Organizations (I.Os) to halt the conflict between President Bashar and the opposition have repeatedly failed, and apparently, there is no hope for a peaceful solution. This paper aims to explain the Syrian war and break down the reason behind each ally's support to the chosen party and understand the Syrian conflict through the lens of Realism. The realist theory will shed some light on the root cause of international intervention by world powers and regional powers and how each actor's actions prolonged the conflict in Syria. And finally, to understand how domestic and international politics was used to carry out heinous crimes against innocent Syrian men, women, and children and analyze the strategies of actors to gain power in the region.