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222. Impact of Asylum on Receiving Countries
- Author:
- Susan Martin, Andrew Schoenholtz, and David Fisher
- Publication Date:
- 03-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Whereas asylum seekers and the systems for adjudicating their claims to refugee status in developed countries have garnished considerable attention and, often, have been at the centre of political controversy, there has been relatively little research on their actual impact on receiving countries. This article discusses the factors that determine the impact of asylum, as distinct from other forms of migration, concluding that the number of asylum seekers, government policies and socioeconomic characteristics all determine the impact of asylum. Hence, the impacts of asylum can differ significantly from country to country. Even within the same country, one could expect to see varied impacts depending on the age, education and skill level of individual asylum seekers. The paper then examines the fiscal, economic, and social impacts of asylum, as well as its impact on foreign policy and national security. It concludes with an examination of the impact of developed countries' asylum policies on the protection of refugees in developing countries. When refugee protection has been weakened in economically strong states and asylum restrictions are perceived as burden shifting, international protection in the developing world where most refugees try to survive has been undercut.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Political Economy, Migration, and National Security
223. Consequence Management in the 1995 Sarin Attacks on the Japanese Subway System
- Author:
- Robyn Pangi
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- In the early to mid 1990s, a group known as Aum Shinrikyo amassed, and used against innocent civilians, an arsenal of chemical and biological weapons. A large body of literature details the evolution of Aum Shinrikyo, its shocking attacks on a housing complex in Matsumoto and on five subway lines in Tokyo using a chemical weapon, and Japanese society's reaction to the attacks. Not much analysis, however, has been done on the lessons learned about consequence management from the first significant terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction to occur in modern times. Recent events in the United States including the dispersal of anthrax spores through the mail and scores of hoaxes alleging use of anthrax have brought the issue of terrorism using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) closer to home. The handling of the Aum Shinrikyo attacks offers the opportunity for policymakers, emergency response personnel, and other relevant professionals to learn about WMD consequence management.
- Topic:
- National Security, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States, Japan, Asia, Tokyo, and Matsumoto
224. Limiting the Growth of the U.S. Defense Budget
- Author:
- Michael E O'Hanlon
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- In proposing a $48 billion defense budget increase for 2003 following a large increase in 2002, President George W. Bush has followed in the budgetary footsteps of former President Ronald Reagan and Reagan's defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger. Adjusted for inflation, Bush's 2003 defense budget would be $50 billion higher than the 2001 budget. By 2007, the real dollar defense budget would go up $30 billion more, approaching the peak levels of the Reagan years.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, National Security, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
225. Building Leverage in the Long War: Ensuring Intelligence Community Creativity in the Fight against Terrorism
- Author:
- James W. Harris
- Publication Date:
- 05-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Intelligence is often cited as a critical element in the war against terrorism and, indeed, it is. The U.S. intelligence community has a golden opportunity to develop the capabilities that will make a decisive difference in a war that may last a generation or more. The adversary will not disappear as the campaign to root the al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan winds down. It is essential that intelligence make the transition to the longer-term fight, and the time to begin that transition is at hand.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, National Security, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and United States
226. Homeland Security: The New Role for Defense
- Author:
- Steven J. Tomisek
- Publication Date:
- 02-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Americans have become accustomed to the idea of a forward defense of U.S. interests. Accordingly, the Nation has organized, trained, equipped, maintained, and deployed its military forces to deal with threats beyond its shores—an engagement strategy that generally has been met by stationing or deploying over 250,000 U.S. forces at key points around the Eurasian periphery. The strategic construct is evolving to include an element of internal engagement.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, National Security, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States
227. Agricultural Bioterrorism: A Federal Strategy to Meet the Threat
- Author:
- Henry S. Parker
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- The attacks of September 11, 2001, have made Americans acutely aware of their vulnerability to terrorism. Now the Nation is focused on improving defensive measures and rooting out and destroying the global infrastructure of terrorism. In response to the terrorist offensive, the Bush administration has engineered an international coalition against terrorism; dedicated substantial new resources to prevent or deter this blight; undertaken military action against blatant practitioners of terrorism; and established a new Office of Homeland Security, under the leadership of former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, to coordinate the Federal response to terrorism.
- Topic:
- National Security, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and Pennsylvania
228. Transformation of the Romanian Civil - Military Relations After 1989
- Author:
- Marian Zulean
- Publication Date:
- 04-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- After the end of the East-West-conflict the Eastern European countries have been struggling to build market economies and democratic institutions. An important issue of democratization is the reform of the armed forces and changing civil-military relations. No one can assess the level of democratization without taking into consideration civil-military relations. Thus, the civilian control of the military has been seen as an important indicator of democratization. Internal and international actors have required the transformation of this relationship as well. In the case of Romania, public opinion as well as NATO has been asking for such a radical change. Now, after 10 years, it is very challenging to see how Eastern European countries, and Romania in particular, have succeeded in changing civil-military relations.
- Topic:
- Democratization, National Security, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
229. Consolidating Democracy: Professionalism, Democratic Principles, and Border Services
- Author:
- Alice Hills
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- There now exists a broad agreement regarding appropriate standards of democratic border security within Europe. The relevance of professionalism to this convergence process is, however, problematic. Professionalism's meaning is contested and consensual trends cannot represent a 'principle of professionalism'. Yet the notion is valuable because it provides insight into what is distinctive about border services. There are, however, too many variables involved to allow for an easy linkage between professionalism, appropriate service standards, and fundamental democratic principles. The factors affecting transferability are equally complex.
- Topic:
- Democratization, National Security, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
230. Promoting Civil Society in Good Governance: Lessons for Security Sector
- Author:
- Johanna Mendelson Forman
- Publication Date:
- 07-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- Perhaps it is no coincidence that this workshop on civil society and civil-military relations is taking place in Prague. In the modern history of Europe Prague has become a symbol of how democracy and human rights drive a revolution. From the famous Prague Spring of 1968, where dissidents challenged the repression of the Soviet state, to the Velvet Revolution and Charter 77 that launched the breakdown of Communist rule, civil society has played a central role in challenging the state's arbitrary use of force against its own citizens. And Czech President Vaclev Havel has become a symbol of democratic dissent, not only in his own nation, but to all those who aspire to freedom and justice around the world.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, National Security, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe