Items related to "Human Security Gateway: Oceania". Fri, 16 May 2008 0:30:23 +0000 Fri, 16 May 2008 0:30:23 +0000 robert_hartfiel@sfu.ca (Robert Hartfiel) Thu, 15 May 2008 09:08:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24376 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24376 The paper, authored by Raspal Khosa, argues that Australia’s security interests are tied to the success of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission. The paper advances three key recommendations on how to increase the effectiveness of Australia’s commitment at little additional cost. First, we must focus on security sector reform by training competent Afghan security forces. Second, we must improve reconstruction and development efforts through better coordination of civil and military resources. Third, we must engage with Pakistan more closely to contain cross-border insurgent activity. The paper argues that the only way to expedite our withdrawal and protect our interests is to work towards a sustainable, democratic and secure Afghanistan. SOURCE: Australian Strategic Policy Institute Australian Strategic Policy Institute Wed, 14 May 2008 13:36:29 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24361 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24361 Ce rapport contient de l'information sur la prévalence et le principal mode de transmission du VIH dans les pays de l'Océanie. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Wed, 14 May 2008 13:04:09 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24355 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24355 Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Chine, Inde, et Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: Double péril - sexospécifité et risque de VIH parmi les consommateurs de drogues injectables; Comprendre les nouvelles estimations du VIH en Inde, et Surprise dans le Sud. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Thu, 01 May 2008 14:56:41 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24061 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24061 In the Westminster parliamentary tradition, a white paper is a detailed statement describing a new policy direction and providing arguments and evidence to support it. Such papers can be issued in any area of government, but they are especially important in defence, because it involves such longterm decisions, engaging critical national interests and committing huge sums of money, in circumstances of great uncertainty. Such decisions are inevitably based more on judgement than on hard data, and are often infused with murky, half-articulated hopes and fears. It is all too easy for momentous decisions to be made on flimsy grounds which would not withstand serious scrutiny. It is therefore especially important in defence for the Government to set out explicitly the evidence and arguments underpinning its defence policy. SOURCE: The Lowy Institute The Lowy Institute Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:27:01 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24002 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24002 Towards the end of 1997, amidst the seemingly momentous changes occurring on the Korean peninsula, the Nautilus Institute published an essay by then Director of the Asia Institute at Monash University, Professor John McKay, and Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) official, Tim Dunk.[1] The essay, entitled "The role of medium sized powers in the normalization process on the Korean peninsula: An Australian perspective", convincingly argued that in the aftermath of the Cold War, a new opportunity had emerged for middle powers, such as Australia, to contribute to normalization on the Korean peninsula. However, a little over a decade later, after a period of substantially heightened security concerns on the peninsula as a result of the nuclear issue, middle powers largely remain either marginalized or, in the case of Australia, dutifully positioned in support of major power policies. This seems to support the realist hypothesis that middle powers are followers during periods of heightened security tension. SOURCE: Nautilus Institute Nautilus Institute Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:12:04 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23941 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23941 Safety, Security, and Accessible Justice argues that the current approach to addressing crime and lawlessness in Papua New Guinea (PNG) impedes development across all areas of the country's society and economy, and fails to address the underlying problems of crime and violence that have stalled economic and social development. The paper further contends that institutional reform targeted toward improving administrative and organizational functions in the formal legal realms - the judiciary, prisons, and other law and justice agencies - as well in programs such as the Enhanced Cooperation Program (ECP), needs to be implemented simultaneously with participatory-based approaches at the community level. These reforms need to focus on expanding social, economic, and political opportunity for the broader PNG community, including traditionally marginalized groups such as women and children. They should also enable a greater proportion of the population to participate directly in strengthening the processes of justice in accordance with both PNG norms and values and fundamental human rights. SOURCE: East-West Center // University of Hawaii East-West Center // University of Hawaii Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:54:11 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23773 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23773 As Kevin Rudd visits Washington and other world capitals on his first major international trip as Australian Prime Minister, media attention has fixated on his perceived snub to Japan, since his only Asian destination is Beijing. But India too is feeling a shiver of uncertainty about the new Australian government's priorities. Australia and India are logical strategic partners. Yet circumstances, especially the Cold War and nuclear differences, have long obstructed both countries need, though this will take sustained political will in both capitals. An unsteady start to the relationship under the Rudd government also suggests it is quite possible that expectations will be left unfulfilled. If so, the reasons will include uranium and China SOURCE: East-West Center // University of Hawaii East-West Center // University of Hawaii Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:50:11 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23221 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23221 Over the past few years, an important focus of peace and conflict research as well as security studies has been on the relationship between large-scale violent conflict, the performance of states and global security. It has become conventional wisdom that poor state performance - generally referred to using terms such as ‘weak’ or ‘fragile’ states, ‘failing’, ‘failed’ or ‘collapsed’ states – and violent conflicts are closely related. State fragility is seen to engender violent conflict which in turn can lead to state failure or even collapse. Moreover, regions of state fragility are perceived as providing breeding grounds and safe havens for transnational terrorism, weapons proliferation and organized crime. Hence they pose severe threats to international security. As states have a dual role, namely providing security and order for their citizens (internal role) and serving as the building blocks of the international system (external role), state fragility not only affects the citizens of the state and society in question, but also neighbouring states and the international community at large. In other words, the issue of fragile states is seen as being at the core of a variety of today’s most pressing security problems. SOURCE: Annual Convention of the International Studies Association // University of Queensland Annual Convention of the International Studies Association // University of Queensland Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:50:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23220 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23220 Over the past few years, an important focus of peace and conflict research as well as security studies has been on the relationship between large-scale violent conflict, the performance of states and global security. It has become conventional wisdom that poor state performance - generally referred to using terms such as ‘weak’ or ‘fragile’ states, ‘failing’, ‘failed’ or ‘collapsed’ states – and violent conflicts are closely related. State fragility is seen to engender violent conflict which in turn can lead to state failure or even collapse. Moreover, regions of state fragility are perceived as providing breeding grounds and safe havens for transnational terrorism, weapons proliferation and organized crime. Hence they pose severe threats to international security. As states have a dual role, namely providing security and order for their citizens (internal role) and serving as the building blocks of the international system (external role), state fragility not only affects the citizens of the state and society in question, but also neighbouring states and the international community at large. In other words, the issue of fragile states is seen as being at the core of a variety of today’s most pressing security problems. SOURCE: Annual Convention of the International Studies Association // University of Queensland Annual Convention of the International Studies Association // University of Queensland Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:57:59 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23173 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23173 This paper has as its focus the recent experience of peacekeeping and peacebuilding in East Timor and the Southwest Pacific. The general context is the trend towards the regionalization of such matters at a global level. In this case we have some specific situations within the same broad area of the world (extending from the eastern end of Southeast Asia into the adjoining parts of the Pacific islands region). An analysis of peacekeeping and peacebuilding in these situations can be useful in at least two respects. It is possible to observe the political dynamics underlying peacekeeping and peacebuilding in these situations with a view to seeing whether they are consistent with broader international trends. At the same time the experience in East Timor and the Southwest Pacific might provide insights that could be relevant in other contexts. Peacekeeping refers to international ‘intervention’ to restore security or to deal with a deteriorating security situation. Peacebuilding is the long term process focusing on political, economic and social development as a means of rebuilding societies and avoiding situations that jeopardize security, whether defined in terms of state security or human security more broadly. SOURCE: Annual Convention of the International Studies Association // University of Melbourne Annual Convention of the International Studies Association // University of Melbourne Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:51:13 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23032 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23032 The 'international community' is increasingly focused on peacebuilding as a significant priority, yet it often has a narrow focus, giving primary attention to roles of international actors. The peace process for Bougainville, Papua New Guinea (PNG), offers a case of a peace process that might well be regarded as an extreme example of an intervention supporting a locally initiated process, largely in accordance with agendas set by local actors, one where the international intervention has combined a lightness of touch with some sensitivity and creativity on the part of those involved in coordinating the intervention. SOURCE: Conciliation Resources Conciliation Resources Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:34:39 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22514 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22514 By the end of January, security problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan were leading to a potential crisis for NATO three months ahead of a major meeting of the alliance. At the same time, there were indications of a deterioration in the security situation in Iraq sufficient to suggest that this year’s planned withdrawal of the combat brigades added during last year’s ‘surge’, would not proceed as planned. SOURCE: Oxford Research Group Oxford Research Group Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:19:08 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22123 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22123 The Rudd Government has inherited plans for a military build-up and a rising aid budget in Afghanistan. In December, the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, assessed that ‘We are winning the battles and not the war...We have been very successful in clearing areas of the Taliban but it’s having no real strategic effect.’ In part, that’s because the ‘war’ is a state-building project. To have lasting effect, it must establish a functional government that can compete successfully for legitimacy and territory with its predecessor, the Taliban. Our alliance and counter-terrorism interests currently point in the same direction. We need a legitimate Afghan government that can lead the counter-insurgency campaign, a campaign whose success depends on external events and which stretches well into the future. With an ongoing insurgency, military assistance is necessary to control territory for the Kabul Government. However, governance is ultimately a civilian affair and sustainable success in Afghanistan requires different mixes of military and non-military tools across a country divided between west–north and east–south. In areas of active insurgency, we should hold the line through force and rapid reconstruction projects. Behind the line, we should work on governance, prioritising law and order. NATO has begun reviewing its aid and military strategies for the next 3–5 years. The following analysis offers a 15-year vision for Afghanistan and derives from it a medium-term strategy for assistance, leading to recommendations on Australia’s role. SOURCE: Australian Strategic Policy Institute Australian Strategic Policy Institute Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:28:16 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21884 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21884 Dans les pays d'Asie et du Pacifique, la transition vers la démocratie n’est jamais automatique. Les sociétés qui ont cherché la démocratisation ont inévitablement fait face à beaucoup de problèmes complexes, qui à leur tour ont mené à de nombreux conflits, parfois sanglants. SOURCE: Asian Human Rights Commission Asian Human Rights Commission Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:14:25 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21796 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21796 Some analysts have questioned whether U.S. security interests in the Asia Pacific region are best served by its existing framework of bilateral alliances. The region is now facing an array of changes: deepening trade links, the formation of new regional institutions, and increased attention to the threat of Islamic terrorism. Against this backdrop, China’s rise represents the key driver in the evolving security landscape in Asia. China is now attracting regional states with its economic power and is offering competing vision to the U.S.-centric “hub and spoke” system of alliances. In essence, China’s increasing economic, diplomatic, and military strength is compelling countries to rethink existing security arrangements and take initial steps that may lead to the formation of regional groupings of nations with common interests and values. At the same time, the Bush Administration has pursued stronger defense relations with Australia, Japan, and India. SOURCE: Congressional Research Service Congressional Research Service Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:01:30 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21736 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21736 Australia's strategic outlook remains challenging and dynamic. Since the last Defence Update, issued in December 2005, Australia has deployed military forces on a number of operations in the South Pacific and further afield. These have included sending Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to both Solomon Islands and to East Timor in May 2006 when rioting threatened stability in these close neighbours. As of mid-2007, significant Australian forces remain in both countries, working with police and military personnel from a number of countries. SOURCE: Department of Defence Australia Department of Defence Australia Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:07:03 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21667 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21667 In July 2003, under Operation Helpem Fren, the 16 member states of the Pacific Islands Forum deployed troops, police and civilian advisors to Solomon Islands through the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). As of late-2007, there were are over 350 Australian police and military personnel serving in Solomon Islands as part of RAMSI, together with more than 150 civilian advisors. The military forces are tasked to provide security for police and civilian staff who make up RAMSI’s Participating Police Force (PPF) - over 220 police from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and state police forces are part of the PPF, which also includes police contingents from around the region. Under Operation Anode, the ADF has deployed a military contingent to support the policing operation in Solomon Islands. ADF personnel are the largest contingent in a Combined Task Force serrving together with New Zealand, PNG, Fijian and Tongan troops. Australian civilian advisers make up the overwhelming majority of RAMSI staff working in various Government ministries and in RAMSI-supported projects. The numbers of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel deployed to Solomon Islands have varied over time - after an initial deployment of over 1,400 people in July 2003, the number of troops has wound down, and the military component has recently been supplemented by rotations of reserve troops from Australia and New Zealand. SOURCE: Nautilus Institute Nautilus Institute Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:05:13 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21180 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21180 The aim of this essay is to assist researchers in finding legal information regarding asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. This comparative approach will allow researchers to see both differences and similarities in the different countries' approach to asylum seekers and refugees. The plight of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom is the subject of many laws, judgments and commentaries. SOURCE: GlobaLex // New York University GlobaLex // New York University Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:29 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20871 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20871 The purpose of this analysis is to describe and analyse one innovative example of state-building, which has had early success and about which there is growing international interest: the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). It does not make grand claims about the applicability of the RAMSI model to other weakened states: the scale of the challenge in Solomon Islands is radically different from that in, say, Afghanistan or Iraq, and we know that the success or failure of state-building owes at least as much to national conditions as it does to operational approaches. The aim is to identify the critical elements of one small but significant case and place it in an international context. The study concludes with a short account of the mission's future challenges. SOURCE: Lowy Institute for International Policy Lowy Institute for International Policy Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:18 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20627 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20627 SOURCE: Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:11 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20540 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20540 Drawing on the Aceh peace process that resulted in the Helsinki agreement, this study investigates the possibility of a peace process to resolve the conflict over the political status of Papua vis-à-vis Indonesia. After presenting essential features of the Papua conflict, the study discusses the key actors, explores who should be brought into the peace process, what are the issues of contention, and how they may be p#ackaged for dialogue. It also explores the possible roles of the international community. The study advances six findings: First, peace through dialogue is possible in Papua, although the Papuan case will require a more complex approach than that used in Aceh; second, negotiations must be more open, and mechanisms must be built to facilitate communication between the negotiators and their constituencies; third, the Special Autonomy consultation process is one possible model for constructing such mechanisms; fourth, a lasting peace can only be built through a process that includes the radical secessionist elements; fifth, the accord must establish mechanisms to monitor implementation and guarantee the safety of the negotiators; and finally, the dialogue process requires international facilitation. SOURCE: East-West Center East-West Center Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20146 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20146 A heightened sense of vulnerability to terror has touched every part of the world, including the Pacific Islands, and has linked small nations to large in new ways. Since the September 11 tragedy, concern has risen that so-called "failed states," losing the struggle to maintain law and order at home, could become springboards for terrorism. Australia has shed its reluctance to intervene #militarily in Pacific trouble-spots-such as Solomon Islands, whose descent into chaos and violence was sparked in 1998 by civil unrest on Guadalcanal. With regional support, Australia led a mission in 2003 to restore law and order. A short-term success, the mission leaves questions about its long-term ability to achieve either well-being for Solomon Islands or security for the region. Its emphasis on shoring up a perennially weak central government, and its inattention to other pillars of Solomons society, threaten to undermine its success and create a crippling sense of dependency. For the mission to succeed, it must empower Solomon Islanders to take charge of their own destiny. SOURCE: East-West Center East-West Center Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:43 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19763 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19763 The South African Institute of International Affairs is an independent non-governmental organisation which aims to promote a wider and more informed understanding of international issues among South Africans. SOURCE: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:35 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19681 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19681 SOURCE: Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:27 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19510 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19510 SOURCE: HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:27 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19511 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19511 SOURCE: HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19314 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19314 In Asia today, three big demographic tendencies are exerting special influence on the region's economic and political calculus. The first is rapid population aging, especially in East Asia. By 2025 China's median age may be approaching 40 years, and Japan's may well exceed 50. Second, adverse mortality trendsxe2x80x94in Russia already, but possibly in China and India as wellxe2x80x94stand to constrain options for some important actors on the Eurasian stage. Finally, the strange and unnatural phenomenon of rising sex ratios at birth has been extending over much of the Asia terrain. Surplus baby boys today may be unmarriageable bachelors tomorrow. How the problem of rising cohorts of unmarriageable men may affect social cohesion and political relations in the future is as yet uncertainxe2x80x94but the impact may be consequential. SOURCE: National Bureau of Asian Research // Center for Health and Aging National Bureau of Asian Research // Center for Health and Aging Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19349 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19349 There is serious risk the long-awaited Papuan People's Council (Majelis Rakyat Papua, MRP) is about to collapse, only five months after it was established, ending hopes that it could ease tensions between Papuans and the central government. The MRP was designed as the centrepiece of the autonomy package granted the country's easternmos#t province in 2001. Almost as soon as it came into being, however, it was faced with two major crises - stalled talks over the legal status of West Irian Jaya, the province carved out of Papua in 2003, and violence sparked by protests over the giant Freeport mine - while Jakarta marginalised its mediation attempts. To revive genuine dialogue and salvage the institution before autonomy is perhaps fatally damaged, President Yudhoyono should meet the MRP in Papua, thus acknowledging its importance, while the MRP should move beyond non-negotiable demands and offer realistic policy options to make autonomy work. SOURCE: International Crisis Group International Crisis Group Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19385 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19385 The Papua New Guinea government must act to stop the police from engaging in brutal beatings, rape and torture of arrestees, many of who are children, Human Rights Watch said this report. The 124-page report documents boys and girls being shot, knifed, kicked and beaten by gun butts, iron bars, wooden batons, fists, rubber hoses and chairs. Some are forced to chew and swallow condoms. Eyewitnesses describe gang rapes in police stations, vehicles, barracks and other locations. Children are also routinely detained with adults in sordid police lockups and denied medical care. Human Rights Watch said that police abuses, such as police rape, targeting of sex workers and men and boys engaged in homosexual conduct, and harassment of people carrying condoms, may also fuel Papua New Guinea's burgeoning AIDS epidemic. These acts may spread the disease, deter people from carrying condoms, and drive marginalized populations underground and away from potentially lifesaving information on HIV prevention and health services. Experts believe that at least 80,000 people are living with HIV in Papua New Guinea - including 3 to 4 percent of adults in the capital - the highest rates in the region. SOURCE: Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:19 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19264 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19264 Fijians go to the polls on Saturday (May 6) in the first general election since the post-coup vote in 2001. The racial divide between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians, the descendants of labourers brought over from India, is likely to dominate the week-long poll. SOURCE: British Broadcasting Corporation British Broadcasting Corporation Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:19 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19265 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19265 We can never respond with equal attention to all of the injustices of this world, but sometimes unexamined, selective and uneven attention can be dangerous. Since the arrival of 43 asylum seekers from the Indonesian province of Papua in Australia in January, and especially after the Indonesian government reacted strongly to the decision to grant 42 of their number temporary protection visas, a major public debate has taken place about the Papua issue in Australia. Much of that debate has taken the form of a simplistic contest pitched in terms of realpolitik versus morality. On one side are those who say that the Australian state has a pre-eminent interest in maintaining good relations with Indonesia and that human rights considerations should be subordinated to this over-riding goal. On the other are those who say that human rights principles should guide Australia's response and that Australia should not "appease" Indonesia. In the process of this debate, there is much simplification, distortion and myth-making on both sides, not only about Papua, but also about Indonesia and Australia itself. SOURCE: Nautilus Institute Nautilus Institute Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:12 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19188 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19188 The Maori have inhabited New Zealand (particularly the North Island) for over 1000 years. Today, the Maori are mainly found in the urban centers. Compared to the European settlers, the Maori have a unique language, history, and are physically different. However over generations there have been considerable intermixing between the dominant group and the Maori, leading to most Maori becoming Christian. Despite their obvious differences from the dominant group, the Maori have a relatively weak sense of collective identity. While the threats of extremist groups such as the Government of Aotearoa should be taken seriously, it seems unlikely that the Maori will begin or sustain a campaign of militant activity. Though the Maori have few of the risk factors generally associated with continued or further protest, such as government repression, political or cultural restrictions, and the opportunities associated with regime instability, they do have support from kindred groups abroad. SOURCE: Minorities at Risk Project // Center for International Development and Conflict Management // University of Maryland Minorities at Risk Project // Center for International Development and Conflict Management // University of Maryland Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:59 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18695 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18695 CNAC's Center for Strategic Studies sponsored a day-long conference, "The United States Army in Asia: Legacies of the Past, Present Challenges, and Prospects for the Future," as part of the U.S. Army's Dwight D. Eisenhower National Security Series. The conference featured presentations by scholars, former military officials, and researchers from CNAC as well as The American Enterprise Institute, The Brookings Institution, The Congressional Research Service, The Heritage Foundation, The Hudson Institute, and The U.S. Army Military History Institute SOURCE: CNA Corporation CNA Corporation Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:45 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18316 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18316 Australia and New Zealand have small, relatively stable HIV epidemics. At the end of 2003, the adult HIV prevalence level in both Australia and New Zealand was 0.1%. In Australia, there were between 6,800 and 22,000 adults and children living with HIV at the end of 2003, while in New Zealand there were 480 to 2,800 people living with HIV. SOURCE: HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:45 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18319 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18319 SOURCE: Nautilus Institute Nautilus Institute Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:31 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18098 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18098 The paper provides an overview of the development and implementation of Australia's comprehensive xe2x80x98border protection' policy, including the Pacific Solution and Operation Relex - the interdiction of asylum seekers. The intention of the paper is to demonstrate the lengths to which a developed state will go in addressing the interrelated problems of secondary movement, people smuggling and mixed flows. It also highlights the xe2x80x98export value' of the policy and its wider implications. SOURCE: Centre for Refugee Studies Centre for Refugee Studies Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:31 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18118 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18118 Timor-Leste has made significant progress towards self-sufficiency in terms of administration and security, and has advanced in border delimitation talks, but the world's newest country has not been able to bring several people accused of serious anti-independence crimes to justice, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report. SOURCE: UN News Centre UN News Centre Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:05 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=17376 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=17376 Trafficking in human beings is a global phenomenon which has been subject to increasing international attention in recent years. Anti-trafficking initiatives have mushroomed, globally and regionally, and trafficking projects have become an important item on international development agenciesxc2x92 agendas (Marshall, 2001). Global and regional responses have been phenomenal, so much so that xc2x93(f)rom a poorly funded, NGO womenxc2x92s issue in the early 1980s, human trafficking has entered the global agenda of high politics, eliciting in recent years significant legislative and other action from the United States Congress, the EU and the UNxc2x94 (Wong, forthcoming). These global developments constitute an important backgr#ound to the issue of researching and generating data about trafficking in general, and specifically in the Asia Pacific region. Asia constitutes a region often described as a hub of trafficking in persons, particularly for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The largest number of children and women trafficked are said to be within or from Asia. In this sense, trafficking is not only a national and international issue, but also essentially a regional issue. As a result, a number of anti-trafficking initiatives have been instigated in the Asia Pacific, resulting in all governments in this region taking some kind of interest in, and steps toward, tackling this problem (Marshall, 2001). At the same time, the lack of systematic research (as opposed to paying mere lip service to this issue) has been widely commented upon. As a result, reliable data on the trafficking of humans that would allow comparative analyses and the design of precise countermeasures is scarce. In this sense, the findings from this research confirm findings from other regional contexts (such as, for example, Kelly, 2002). At the same time, there are some notable differences which distinguish Asia from other parts of the world. SOURCE: International Migration International Migration Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:04 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=17118 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=17118 Le 15 aoxc3xbbt 2005, le Gouvernement indonésien et le Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (mouvement de libération d'Aceh) ont signé un mémorandum d'accord confirmant leur volonté de trouver une solution pacifique, globale et durable au conflit qui sévit dans la province de Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Il est à espérer que l'application de cet accord permettra le rapatriement dans la sécurité et la dignité des habitants de la province qui vivent actuellement à l'étranger, et en particulier en Malaisie, oxc3xb9 quelque 20 000 d'entre eux sont recensés par l'UNHCR. L'Organisation se tient prxc3xaate à venir en aide à toutes les parties concernées, dans la limite de ses responsabilités et de ses compétences. Toujours en Indonésie, l'UNHCR a participé à l'intervention interorganisations menée dans la province de Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam à la suite du tremblement de terre et du tsunami survenus dans l'océan Indien le 26 décembre 2004. Aprxc3xa8s s'xc3xaatre retiré d'Aceh à la fin de la phase d'urgence, enmars 2005, l'UNHCR est retourné dans la région en juin 2005, à l'invitation du Gouvernement indonésien. Ses efforts porteront principalement sur l'aide à la réhabilitation et à la reconstruction dans la province de Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam et sur l'xc3xaele de Nias, au nord de Sumatra, oxc3xb9 une assistance immédiate a été fournie à quelque 20 000 personnes victimes du tremblement de terre du 28 mars 2005. SOURCE: L'Agence des Nations Unies Pour Les Refugies L'Agence des Nations Unies Pour Les Refugies Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:03 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16936 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16936 The Aborigines of Australia arrived on the continent approximately 50 000 years ago. Their population has rebounded in the last 40 years after being declared a dying race. There is little reason to believe that the Aborigines of Australian will begin to employ militant tactics in the near future. The government continues to try to make amends for past wrongs, and the exposure provided by the Olympics should ensure that the process will continue. While the risk of militant activity is low, the possibility for continued protests is quite high. This is despite the fact that the Aborigines do not possess the normal risk factors associated with protest, such as government repression, political restrictions, or a new democracy. The openness of the Australian democratic system allows for the group to protest, and they have used the strategy throughout the past. There are still many issues outstanding and the Aboriginal community is suffering economically, and socially. While the Australian government has placed millions of dollars into programs to both improve the Aboriginal economic status, and to provide sensitivity training for the white population, there is still discrimination throughout the country. Until these problems are adequately addressed, protests are likely to continue. SOURCE: Minorities at Risk Project // Center for International Development and Conflict Management // University of Maryland Minorities at Risk Project // Center for International Development and Conflict Management // University of Maryland Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16790 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16790 The bombing in front of the Australian embassy in September 2004 shows the importance of looking beyond Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) to understand its extended family -- the splinters and offshoots of the 55-year-old Darul Islam (DI) movement. Virtually all jihadist groups in Indonesia have DI origins, including a small group from Banten, West Java, that worked with JI on the September bombing. This report examines the DI network and shows how its evolution helps explain the recruiting base, support network, and potential partners for jihadists in Indonesia. It also offers important clues as to how JI, itself a DI offshoot, will adapt to changing conditions. SOURCE: International Crisis Group International Crisis Group Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16812 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16812 Jemaah Islamiyah ("Islamic community" in Arabic) is a militant group active in Southeast Asia and dedicated to establishing a Muslim fundamentalist state in the region. The group has been blamed for the Bali bombings in October 2002, the Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta in August 2003, the bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in September 2004 and a series of bombings elsewhere in Indonesia and the Philippines. SOURCE: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16631 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16631 Operation Anode is the name of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). RAMSI's assistance is known as Operation HELPEM FREN (Pidgin English for 'Helping Friend'). RAMSI's mission is to assist the Solomon Islands' Government in restoring law and order. The military component of RAMSI comprises of personnel from five troop contributing nations. They are; Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. The main task for the military component is to provide security for RAMSI's multinational Participating Police Force. SOURCE: Government of Australia // Department of Defence Government of Australia // Department of Defence Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16632 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16632 Australia's contribution to the international coalition against terrorism is an important component of the Australian Government's commitment to working together with the international community to help prevent acts of terrorism around the world. SOURCE: Government of Australia // Department of Defence Government of Australia // Department of Defence Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16633 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16633 Operation Catalyst is the Australian Defence Force's (ADF's) contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. Operation Catalyst commenced on 16 July 2003 following on from Operation Falconer and Bastille. Working with the Iraqi Government, the ADF continues to contribute to Multinational Force efforts to develop a secure and stable environment in Iraq and assist national recovery programs. Operation Catalyst currently comprises approximately 1400 Australian Defence Force personnel. Brigadier Mick Moon commands all ADF units deployed in the Middle East Area of Operations. SOURCE: Government of Australia // Department of Defence Government of Australia // Department of Defence Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16634 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16634 The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has deployed troops to bring security, peace and confidence to the people of Timor Leste. The ADF is present at the invitation of the Government of Timor-Leste. SOURCE: Government of Australia // Department of Defence Government of Australia // Department of Defence Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16659 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16659 The proposition that Australia faces an 'arc of instability' to its north has been an important feature of the Australian strategic debate in the early twenty-first century. Prompted by worries in the late 1990s over Indonesia's future and East Timor's uncertain path to independence, the 'arc' metaphor also encapsulated growing Australian concerns about the political cohesiveness of Melanesian polities, including Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. While tending to overlook the divergent experiences of countries within its expanding boundaries, the 'arc' fed from Australia's historical requirement for a secure archipelagic screen. As such it has became an important weapon in the debate over whether the locus of Australia's strategic priorities should be increasingly global in the 'war on terror' period or remain closer to home in the immediate region. The 'arc of instability' metaphor was consequently adopted by leading Australian Labor Party politicians to argue that the Howard Coalition government was neglecting South Pacific security challenges. It became less prominent following the Howard government's greater activism in the South Pacific, signalled by Australia's leadership of the East Timor intervention in 2003. But its prominence returned in 2006 with the unrest in both Honiara and Dili. In overall terms, the 'arc of instability' discussion has helped direct Australian strategic and political attention to the immediate neighbourhood. But it has not provided specific policy guidance on what should be done to address the instabilities it includes. SOURCE: Australian Journal of International Affairs Australian Journal of International Affairs Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:48 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16602 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16602 New Caledonia, a French colonial holding in the south Pacific, has a long history of tension between its European ( largely French) colonists and the indigenous Melanesians, also knows as Kanaks. A notable Kanak revolt that occurred in 1878 claimed over a thousand lives and resulted in increased repression on the part of the French colonizers. SOURCE: Globalsecurity.org Globalsecurity.org Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:46 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16323 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16323 This study is a comparative analysis of the work of UNDP in eight post-conflict countries. It identifies emerging best practices and lessons learned in order to improve UNDP's organizational flexibility in responding quickly and effectively to the special challenges of postconflict rehabilitation. The report is also meant to support UNDP's institutional learning process and internal discussions about its response capacity. The study was not tasked with the responsibility of recommending broad structural changes to improve UNDP's flexible response. It was instead mandated to explore innovations and adaptations to maximize institutional flexibility within the co#nstraints of the organizational structure as it currently exists and has come up with timely and valuable lessons for the organization and its partners. SOURCE: ReliefWeb // United Nations // United Nations Development Programme ReliefWeb // United Nations // United Nations Development Programme Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:38 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16248 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16248 PNG's social, political and economic histories have been moulded by its tropical forests. Covering 60 per cent of the PNG land mass and largely impenetrable, the forests have limited trade, defi ned customary laws and delineated life and culture. Gloriously, the forests account for 6 percent of the world's biodiversity. When the world thinks of PNG, they see its forests. Now, the logging of these incomparable life systems is corroding PNG's society and politics, with only trivial economic benefi t, and with alarming fl ow-on effects in the region. The PNG logging industry is dominated by a handful of Malaysian companies, the largest of which is Rimbanan Hijau. It is an industry that is synonymous with political corruption, police racketeering and the brutal repression of workers, women and those who question its ways. Its operations routinely destroy the food sources, water supplies and cultural property of those same communities. They provide a breeding ground for arms smuggling, corruption and violence across the country. In return, the industry generates no lasting economic benefi t to forest communities, considerable long-term cost and a modest 5 per cent contribution to the national budget. This record is a far cry from fulfi lling PNG's Fourth National Goal - set upon its independence in 1975 - that its "natural resources and environment xe2x80xa6 be conserved and used for the collective benefi t of us all, and be replenished for the benefi t of future generations". SOURCE: Australian Conservation Foundation // Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Australian Conservation Foundation // Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights